A Competitive Edge
by TheLovelyGirl
Summary: Sectionals preparation has begun and the New Directions find they have more than the Warblers to worry about. Glee/Glee Project crossover
1. Welcome to Asheville

The bell rings through the McKinley High School halls just as the last few stragglers enter the classrooms. In the choir room, a group of thirteen outcasts and misfits more formally known as the Glee Club or New Directions anxiously await the list of clubs they would be competing against for Sectionals. Mr. Schuester strolls into the room, humming a lesser known Journey song under his breath and clutching a sheet of paper in his hands.

Mr. Schuester steps to the center of the room nonchalantly, waiting of few seconds to see who would be the first to ask. It turns out to be Finn. "Well Mr. Schue?"

Smiling, Mr. Schuester glances down at the paper, waiting another few seconds to build anticipation. "Are competition for Sectionals are the Dalton Academy Warblers…" The teenagers knew the Warbler would be returning as their competition, but it still makes some of the kids nervous. They had gotten tied with the group last year and they might have gotten better. Stepping up their games is their only option. "And the Asheville Boarding School Accents."

Everyone in the room exchanges glances, not knowing anything about Asheville Boarding School or their Glee Club. Everyone except for Kurt. "Blaine told me about that school. It's new this year. Apparently they poached a lot of Dalton' boys." Mumbles follow Kurt's explanation that soon grow in volume until the whole room is expressing worry over the new group.

Rachel, taking charge as usual, joins Mr. Schuester at the front of the room. "Why are we worrying about this new group? They just started and are obviously a bunch of amateurs. We really should pity them. What we need to do is worry about the Warblers and writing new songs for Sectionals."

Despite some grumbling protests, everyone stops their conversations and the Asheville group is not mentioned again.

A red-haired girl stands in line waiting for coffee. Marissa adjusts her scarf, feeling free. Despite claiming to support a free flowing environment, Asheville highly stresses their strict dress code: classic plaid skirts, white button down, and blazer. Adding any personal touches got you into the dean's office. For that reason, Marissa is glad she was assigned a Glee task off campus.

Picking up her coffee, Marissa slips into a chair at a table near the people she is supposed to be watching. It would have been easy to tell since it is a group of tables all put together, but Marissa also recognizes New Direction's members Mercedes Jones and Sam Evans. She picks up the random magazine she had brought, takes a sip of her coffee, and pretends to read.

The reason she had been selected for this job was an obvious one. Lindsay and Hannah are too loud. Damian is too new, being a recent foreign exchange student. Emily and Bryce would have been too busy flirting to do the work. Ellis and Matheus would have drawn too much attention. Samuel and McKynleigh both did not want to participate for various reasons. Alex is an ex-Warbler and the others feared Kurt would recognize him. Cameron is the only other person that could have gone, but he was on a day trip with his parents. Thus, Marissa was an easy choice.

Slowly, the rest of New Directions start to trickle in. Marissa notes a small, but surprisingly loud girl instructing everyone on where to sit and many of the others not so happy to comply. This must be Rachel Berry. She reminds Marissa of a slightly worse Lindsay for even she does not make seating arrangements. "Let's begin discussing the songs we will be writing for Sectionals. I was thinking of a song that can exercise my vocal range…" That sounds a bit more like Lindsay.

"I want to know why we have to be here on a Saturday morning," Mercedes ask like a diva that is lacking at least three hours of her beauty sleep. Marissa somewhat agreed with her. She would have preferred spying at a later hour.

"Kurt told me the Warblers like to drink coffee here in the afternoon and the best songs come from anger which is what you are feeling," Rachel informs her group.

"We could write a song about Lord Tubbington in the morning," a blonde girl suggests in a low voice. From the contents of that sentence, Marissa can only assume that this is Brittany. According to Alex, who had met her at Regionals, she is the stupidest girl you could ever meet. Marissa is beginning to see why as Brittany begins describing in length Lord Tubbington's morning routine.

For the next hour or so, Marissa listens to conversation after conversation of song ideas that always ended in yelling, sometimes in English and sometimes in Spanish. As of now, the red-head is only looking up occasionally, mostly to see who is starting the latest screaming match. Marissa hears screaming in Spanish again and though knowing who it is, she looks up anyway. She lets out a little scream when she does.

"I was waiting for you to look up," Cameron says with a small smile. Marissa has known Cameron for a few months and she has gotten over blushing around him, but he had startled her into flushing bright red.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were out with your parents."

"My dad ate some bad eggs at breakfast and had to go home. My dropped my back off at Asheville and Hannah told me where you were. Instead of checking back in, I came to see how you were doing," Cameron explains, stealing a sip of her coffee afterwards. "How did you get out of Asheville anyway? You couldn't have told them you were going to coffee shop to spy on our rival."

"I told them I was meeting my grandmother for breakfast, kind of like you. Ellis pretended to be my grandmother," Marissa admits, getting a laugh from Cameron. "Now you need to go."

"Why?"

"For one thing, you are still wearing your Asheville jacket." Cameron immediately begins tugging off the blazer, making Marissa giggle. However, she stops when she notices a few of the New Direction's members looking her way with a questioning look on their faces.

"Can I stay now?" Cameron asks and though knowing his presence would throw her focus off, Marissa nods. "Made any progress?"

"Well," Marissa begins, leaning in to make sure the New Directions could not hear them, "They are writing songs for the competition just like Alex thought they would, but they seem to be having trouble coming up with ideas for their songs. That is about all I've got."

Cameron leans in as well and says, "So do you think we can beat them?"

Marissa thinks about this for a moment before responding. "Possibly, but they seem to always pull it together at the last second. I think we need to do more than spying to win."

Before Cameron can answer, someone speaks a little louder than they probably meant to. "See Finn, this place isn't to girly for a date. Not just Blaine and Kurt come here." Turning her head, Marissa sees the leaders of New Directions standing right by their table. Finn is trying to steer Rachel towards the line as she continues to glance back at Marissa and Cameron, who do look very couple like.

The two immediately stop leaning forward and Marissa begins collecting her stuff. "Um, I think that's enough information for one day." Slinging a bag over one shoulder, she heads for the door, too embarrassed to see if Cameron is coming or not. Of course she would like to see what being a couple with Cameron would be like, but she would never dream of asking him. It is pretty obvious he likes Lindsay and Marissa couldn't do that to Hannah, who had been crushing on him since day one.

Marissa catches a bus heading towards Asheville. While she was busy rushing out of the coffee shop, she forgot Cameron would be taking the same bus. She spends the next twenty minutes pretending not to notice him and glancing down at her shoes.

Lindsay isn't an impatient person, but she is having trouble waiting for Marissa to get back. Out of everyone at Asheville, she is probably the only one who hates Saturdays. Everyone has either gone out with parents or hanging out with friends. It isn't that Lindsay doesn't have friends. It's just her friends always seem to want to work or sleep on Saturdays. Or they get shipped off on a Glee mission somewhere.

The choir room is empty except for Lindsay. There would be an Accents meeting in a few hours, but until then she has the room all to herself. Currently, she is reviewing a new duet she would most likely give to Samuel or Cameron to sing with her. However, she just couldn't get into the song.

A knock on the door gives her momentary relief and she looks up to see the new boy, Damian standing somewhat awkwardly at the door. "I think I left my jacket in here yesterday." Damian points to his usual chair, which indeed has a jacket on it and walks over to retrieve it. Before leaving out the door, he stops at the piano and glances over Lindsay's shoulder. "New song?"

"Yeah, a duet."

"Who are you planning to sing it with?"

The names Cameron and Samuel both suddenly get caught in her throat. That Irish accent is strangely blind-siding, being so sweet and innocent sounding. Lindsay makes a impulsive decision. "You could sing it with me, if you want to."

Looking over the first page of sheet music quickly, Damian shakes his head. "Definitely not my skill level. You should ask Cameron to do it. Catch you later." He gives Lindsay a good-natured smile before turning around and leaving, making Lindsay wish she had just said someone else's name in the first place. She has no real attachment to Damian, but she still feels sort of…rejected.

"What am I going to do?" Marissa asks, flopping down on her bed. Emily looks at her and how hopeless she appears. The raven-haired girl does pity her roommate. Though Marissa never seemed to have any major problems, this one was really getting to her.

"This is why I don't get involved in relationships within my school. I just met an amazing guy a few days ago. He goes to some public school _and_ he has a lot of cute football friends," Emily stresses to Marissa, hoping she would jump on the opportunity. It would also give Emily an excuse to hang out with him again, though not that she needed one. However, this idea only makes Marissa sigh.

"I don't want another football boyfriend…"

"You want a nerd boyfriend. I just don't see why you aren't going for it." Emily immediately regrets say that because now she needs to here the whole, long explanation of why Marissa can't just go for it. Emile braces herself by lying down on her own bed and opening a magazine.

"I can't ask him out because he likes Lindsay. And even if he doesn't like Lindsay, Hannah likes him and I can't break Hannah's heart. And even in all those obstacles suddenly disappear, it still doesn't guarantee he likes me," Marissa explains. She looks over to see Emily not even listening to one word of what she is saying. "I might as well join a covenant and live the rest of my life as a nun, never being able to love a man again."

"I wouldn't call Cameron a man," Emily mutters, proving to Marissa she was indeed listening. "Listen Marissa, either man up and tell that boy how you feel or come on a date with me, my football player, and someone who could end up being your football player. Which will it be?"

"I guess it couldn't hurt going on one date with this football player," Marissa says thoughtfully, taking Emily by surprise. She never thought her roommate would actually agree to the date. Emily immediately has her phone out, sending a text to her possible fling. She tells him to meet her tonight and to bring a friend.

The twelve members of the Asheville Accents assemble in the choir room at exactly three. Their coach wasn't going to be there, so he left Lindsay in charge of the meeting. Taking this responsibility very seriously, Lindsay stands in front of her eleven other group members; ready to get down to business. "So, Marissa, what did you find out?"

Everyone turns to look at Marissa, waiting for her response. "Well, they are writing their songs for the competition, but they can't seem to find the inspiration. That is about all I got."

"That's all?" Ellis asks. "I thought you were going to be there for awhile. That meeting had to have lasted at least two hours."

"I had to leave unexpectedly…" Marissa says, trailing off as if trying to think of a good excuse as to why she didn't come back with a good amount of information. Everyone is too busy staring at Marissa to notice the guilty look on Cameron's face.

"It doesn't matter," Lindsay says, cutting off everyone's complaining. "We don't need to know every detail about our competition to beat them. I say we get started on choosing are own set list for Sectionals. Any ideas?" And that was the end of talking about the failed spy mission. The next hour or so consisted of song selection, a few lines sung here and there, and plenty of disagreements.

One thing is for certain though, the Accents are going to be a group to beat.

_Author's Note_

_In case someone hasn't noticed, this starts a few months into the year._

_I've been obsessed with the Glee Project lately and there are not enough stories for it. So, I've decided to make my own. I will take couple suggestions, but I have already set some up as you have seen. Feel free to send plot ideas as well. Also, this chapter is a bit longer than the other chapters will be. I wanted to get the story started off and I hate when people start a story and it is just a short prologue. Review!_


	2. Bad Terms

The student lounge at Asheville is bustling with activity when Hannah enters. She weaves her way through the different social groups like the Math Club, Honors Society, and all the multiple sports groups to get to her own group-Glee Club. Hannah never thought this would be the group she settled down with. Sure, she loves to sing, but she had once preferred being thought of as the class clown, not the songbird.

Hannah places herself on the floor next to Matheus and leans against the red couch Samuel, Lindsay, and McKynleigh are sitting on. By the face Damian and Cameron are making opposite her and the sound of Lindsay's voice behind her, Hannah can tell Lindsay has been going on for awhile now. Noticing something off, she decides to interrupt Lindsay to ask, "Where are Emily and Marissa?" The others seem to just notice the two aren't here.

Ellis, coming back from getting water, is greeted by a chorus of, "Have you seen…" or "Where are…" The small girl sits next to Alex on the loveseat opposite the couch, laughing at everyone's loud inquiries. "I ran into Emily about an hour ago. She met some football player and is going on a date with him." This wasn't a surprise to anyone. Emily went on a date with a new guy every other week. The only person who this seemed to bother is Bryce, who had dated Emily at the beginning of the year and still hated when she got a new boyfriend.

"What about Marissa?" Hannah asks.

"Emily was setting her up with a friend of her date."

"What?" Now _this_ was a surprise. Emily was always trying to help her roommate find a boyfriend, but Marissa always rejected the idea of a double date. The only thing that would have made this moment even a bit funny, Hannah decides, is if everyone had said what at the same time and it wasn't just a shocked and pale looking Cameron.

"Why do you care so much Cameron?" Lindsay asks with a sly smile. Sometimes, Hannah just didn't understand Lindsay. Some days she acts like she likes Cameron, other days she couldn't care less about him. For Marissa's sake, Hannah wished Lindsay would move on to one of the one hundred something boys that are in love with her.

Hannah knew Marissa has a thing for Cameron just like she also knew Marissa thinks Cameron likes Lindsay and that Hannah herself likes Cameron. Hannah knew the latter is not true, but she is still trying to work the truth out of Cameron. However, judging by Cameron's reaction to Marissa's date, he might not like Lindsay as much as everyone thinks he does.

"I don't care," Cameron says while he awkwardly runs a hand through his messy hair. "I have to go." He abruptly stands up and rushes out of the room.

"That boy is messed up," Bryce comments from his place stretched out on the floor. A few of the others laugh, like Lindsay and Samuel, but most of the others feel bad for Cameron. He is misunderstood by a lot of people and few people try to get to know him really well. Hannah watches him leave, hoping he is okay and won't do anything drastic.

* * *

><p>In a restaurant somewhere, Marissa is thinking about doing something extremely drastic. She glances at her face in the mirror, pale as a ghost, and contemplates climbing out the bathroom window. It could be done, she decides, but she can't bring herself to do that to Emily. The only thing Marissa can do is wish she hadn't agreed to this and walk back out there.<p>

Marissa slides back into the booth opposite Emily, noting their dates have not arrives yet. "What's taking so long?" Marissa asks anxiously, glancing behind her at the front door. As she does, the door swings open and two strongly built boys dressed casually. "I'm guessing that's them," Marissa mutters and watches as Emily waves them over.

The smaller of the boys greets Emily with a hug before turning to Marissa. "Hey, I'm Puck." Marissa furrows her eyebrows in confusion at the strange name, but decides not to ask if that is actually his real name.

"I'm Marissa," she says with a nervous smile. She isn't looking at Puck anymore, but at the guy he had brought with him for her date. Though equal in height to Puck, he is much bulkier and he has a hard expression on his face. Marissa had been serious when she said she didn't want another football boyfriend and yet she is on a date with the best example of that persona.

"Dave Karofsky." He says nothing more and the next moment is slightly awkward before Emily suggest sitting down to order. Unfortunately for Marissa, Emily and Puck take one side of the booth, leaving her having to sit next to Dave or just Karofsky as Puck is calling him. To make matters worse, Marissa finds herself on the inside, meaning she can't make a quick exit if she had to.

To be optimistic, Marissa would say the rest of date was a total success…for Emily and Puck. Almost all of the conversations were between the two with Marissa adding in an occasional comment and Karofsky just nodding along or giving one word answers when he was asked a question. Karofsky barely said a word to Marissa and the only emotion she felt the whole evening was boredom. However, to be optimistic again, Marissa would say this was better than she expected, but not by much.

* * *

><p>Damian likes to believe he knew his roommate better than anyway, but when he enters their shared room, doubts begin to swarm his head. Instead of playing the guitar or pacing wildly like he usually does when he is frustrated, Cameron is impatiently tapping his foot while waiting for a call to go through. He gives Damian a little wave, but doesn't turn to face him.<p>

"What are you doing?" Damian asks, cautiously passing Cameron's bed to get to his own. To Damian, Cameron seems like he is in a mood where he will be throwing his phone at any minute when the person he is calling doesn't pick up. To his relief, Cameron doesn't throw the phone when no one picks up. Instead, he just places the phone on his night stand and collapses on the bed in a slightly hopeless state. Damian decides to ask a different question. "What's up?"

"I was trying to get in touch with this girl I once went out with and she won't pick up her phone," Cameron answers, acting as if this is the only thing bothering him and that is not just a result of what is really annoying him.

"Does this girl's name happen to begin with an M?"

"Really funny, Damian," Cameron mutters, but sits up to look Damian in the face. "I don't care that Marissa is going out with some football player."

"Do you care that Emily is going out with some football player?"

"No…I don't know. I really don't know why I cared that either of them went on that date. They're my friends, I should feel happy for them," Cameron explains thoughtfully, but it is still evident that the whole date thing didn't sit well with him.

"Hey, boys," Emily trills from the door and Damian quickly regrets leaving the door open. Marissa stands next to Emily, looking normal, but also not looking like she didn't enjoy the date.

"How was the date?" Cameron asks, doing surprisingly well at acting like he doesn't care

"Great, really great, just…"

"Great," Cameron finishes for Marissa, his poker face cracking. "Are you going to see him again?"

"Probably," Marissa says with a shrug, acting like it's no big deal for her. Emily looks surprised by the answer, giving Damian the message that the date didn't go as well as Marissa expressed. Yet at the same time, Emily looks delighted she would have another double date to plan, worrying Damian because Cameron barely survived this time. "Good night." Marissa says bluntly and heads off to her own room with Emily trailing behind to tell some other girls how the date went. Damian gets up and shuts the door to keep out any other unwanted news.

From behind him, Damian can hear Cameron's fingers flying on the keys of his phone. "Cameron, whatever you are doing, it is not a good idea."

Though afraid to turn around, Damian does to see Cameron on the phone once again, waiting for the girl on the other side to pick-up. This time, she does. "Hey, its Cameron Mitchell…I'm going to Asheville now and I'd love to meet up sometime…Next Saturday?" Damian shakes his head at Cameron, signaling to say no. Cameron takes this as just the opposite. "I would love to, see you then."

"One day, you will listen to me," Damian says with a sigh and begins getting ready for bed. Damian does realize that Cameron will come to the conclusion that he is doing this just to get Marissa jealous on his own, but he wishes he could help his roommate to get there sooner.

* * *

><p>"So why didn't you want to get off campus this morning?" Matheus asks Samuel as he takes out his contacts. Matheus remembers Samuel's awkward way of explaining why he couldn't go and it sounded extremely fake to Matheus. Samuel didn't do homework on Saturdays. No one did homework on Saturdays with the exception of McKynleigh and whoever she was helping.<p>

"I used to know one of the girls in the club we were spying on. She probably wouldn't remember me anyway," Samuel explains, tossing his shirt on to his desk.

"Did you date her?"

"No way," Samuel says, laughing at even the thought of dating the girl he knew all the way back in elementary school. "I was barely her friend. She wasn't exactly the prettiest girl in the world." That is an understatement. She was extremely unappealing and didn't have many friends, if any at all. Samuel was pretty sure she wouldn't remember him, but he didn't want her to see him if she did. It wouldn't go well.

"What chick was it?"

"Lucy something," Samuel says. He didn't know much about Lucy except that she moved to Lima, Ohio and that she is in the Glee club.

"Wait, are you talking about Quinn Fabray? Dude, she is one of the hottest girls in that school. You used to know her?" Matheus asks, almost not believing Samuel ever met that girl.

"I don't think we are talking about the same person."

"Yeah we are, come look." Matheus motions to Samuel to come over to his desk. He opens his laptop and opens to the McKinley High School. Once on the page for New Directions, he enlarges the club picture. "Is that the girl you knew?" Matheus points to a very blonde and very pretty senior girl who definitely would be in the running for prettiest girl in McKinley. At first, Samuel does not believe that girl could possibly be Lucy from elementary school. However, squinting just a little…

"Holy shit…that is her."

"Did you end on good terms with her?"

"I wish."

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note<em>

_Thanks for the reviews from last time and sorry I forgot to insert the line breaks. I hope you liked this chapter and feel free to offer any plot ideas and couple suggestions._


	3. Great Opportunities

McKynleigh struggles as she tries to hang the large banner announcing the Freshman/Sophomore Formal. She wishes that the sophomore president wasn't sick in his dorm and could do this himself. However, McKynleigh greatly wants to impress her Government teacher, who also heads the Student Government program at Asheville. Doing tasks for other class presidents is sure to make her a shoe in for Student Body President next year.

"Need any help?" McKynleigh attempts to turn around to see who offered the needed help, but this only causes her to almost fall and in turn, drop the large banner. The one good thing that comes from this is she is able to see who would be helping her. Of course, it is Marissa, who always seems to be in the mood to help people. Marissa doesn't need an answer; she is already picking up the poster and holding it up for McKynleigh.

"Thank you," McKynleigh says gratefully. "Can you grab the other side when I spread it out? Marissa nods and with joint effort, the girls manage to hang the banner as well as the can. "Beautiful," McKynleigh says with a satisfied smile, glad to have finally finished.

"Why were you hanging an underclassmen flyer? Isn't that an underclassmen job?"

"Well…" McKynleigh is about to explain why she had to hang the stupid sign, but someone calling her name distracts her. She turns to see Mrs. Baxter, the Government teacher, walking towards her. McKynleigh barely conceals a huge grin. Her hard work looks to have paid off. "Hello, Mrs. Baxter."

"McKynleigh, I was happy to hear you took over hanging up this banner. The formal is only a few days away and I wanted to get the sign up as soon as possible. Anyway, I have some great news for you." McKynleigh holds her breathe to keep from squeaking with joy. "I have sent a recommendation in for you for a National Government program for teens in Washington D.C. Though a lot of people apply every year, I believe with your grades and success as junior class president, you have a fair shot at getting a place. Congratulations, McKynleigh."

It wasn't exactly what McKynleigh had been hoping for, but she is happy all the same. Mrs. Baxter thought she was a success as president and she recommend her to what seems to be a very honorable program. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Baxter. You don't know how much this means to me."

"Keep up the good work, McKynleigh. I see big things in your future at Asheville." With that, Mrs. Baxter walks back down the hall. McKynleigh waits until she cannot be seen to begin smiling and almost crying with joy and Marissa joins in, giving McKynleigh a tight hug.

"McKynleigh, this is huge! Congratulations."

"And did you hear what she said about big things in my future at Asheville? I think she wants me to be Student Body president!" McKynleigh exclaims, almost jumping for joy at the mere thought.

"When is this program?" Marissa asks.

"I'm not sure," McKynleigh answers, but not thinking much of it. She might not even get in, but that didn't bother her too much. Sure, it would be a big honor if she did get accepted, but what she is really excited about is her great chance at Student Body president. She would cross the program bridge when her letter of confirmation or rejection comes.

* * *

><p>Alex is anxious to see Blaine again. He hadn't been keen on the idea of leaving the Warblers a year and a half ago and going to Asheville, but his parents insisted that Asheville is the better school, so Asheville he went. At least Asheville is close to Dalton and Blaine's favorite coffee shop. Alex took his monthly lunch off campus to come meet Blaine.<p>

No one is in line for coffee when Alex arrives, but he is still quick to order. He wants to get the perfect table to catch up with Blaine. His latte arrives with speed and Alex picks a window table to sit down at. "I love your scarf, Marc Jacobs?" Before turning to face the person, Alex looks down at the scarf he is wearing, purple and loose. This is the first time he has worn it in months, not much room for accessorizing at Asheville. He twists in his seat and finds himself facing a boy around his age with brown hair and an impeccable fashion sense.

"Of course and thank you," Alex says to the boy. "I'm Alex Newell."

The boy shakes Alex's outstretched hand and introduces himself. "Kurt Hummel. Is anyone sitting here?" Kurt motions to the chair across from Alex.

As much as Alex wants to talk to Kurt more, he has to save the seat for Blaine. "Sorry, I'm waiting for someone." Kurt nods and is about to go to another table when Alex thinks of something. "But you can sit here while he isn't here." To Alex's delight, Kurt comes back and sits down across from Alex. "What school do you go to?"

"I'm a senior at McKinley and I just can't wait to get out of there," Kurt tells Alex, making Alex a bit nervous. The McKinley glee club is the Accents greatest rival as of now and his friends (mostly Lindsay) would not be happy knowing he is sitting and talking with a possible member.

"Are you in the glee club?"

"Are you kidding? I couldn't live without it. We made it to Nationals last year, but thanks to our lead vocalists, we came in twelfth place. I'm positive we are going to take it all this year," Kurt explains. Alex worries are confirmed, but he doesn't let it bother him for long. His team (Lindsay) wouldn't care about one innocent talk, meaning they wouldn't be finding out about it. It didn't really matter if they did. They always seemed too wrapped up in their own problems to worry about things like this. "So, where do you go to school?"

"Alex!" Saved by the Warbler, Alex looks above Kurt's head to see Blaine at the entrance of the shop and heading their way. Alex smiles when he sees his old friend once again and a thousand questions fill his head about what he has been up to since they last saw each other. But first things first, Alex gives the smaller man a huge hug.

"Blaine Anderson, it has been too long. You just have to tell me about this new boyfriend of yours."

"Why don't you tell me? This is my boyfriend, Kurt." Blaine places his hand on Kurt's shoulder and smiles. Alex eyes widen in shock. He had expected Blaine's boyfriend to be a fellow Warbler, not a competitor from the other school. He also never expected to actually meet Blaine's boyfriend…or find him so attractive.

* * *

><p>"How cute, on a scale of one to ten?" Hannah asks Alex, who is currently lying on Ellis's bed, his face buried in a pillow. He had gotten back from his lunch with Blaine a few hours ago, but is just now informing Hannah about Blaine's boyfriend.<p>

"Fifteen," Alex mumbles into the pillow.

"So? You'll never see this boy again. Just move on," Hannah suggests.

Alex sits up momentarily to look at Hannah. "Just move on? This is the first gay guy I have met since Blaine, who was love with someone else when I went to school with him. I guess there are only two gay boys in all of Ohio and I will have to be around it all the time." Alex returns to the pillow, sighing hopelessly into it. At least he is still being dramatic, Hannah thinks before responding.

"Why will you have to…you agreed to go out with them again, didn't you?" Alex says something quietly in response, but the answer gets muffled by the pillow. From what Hannah heard it sounded like maybe and knowing Alex, that mean yes. Hannah is about to jump into a lecture about why you can't say yes to your old friend's dinner invitation when you are attracted to their boyfriend when her phone rings. Just his luck, Hannah thinks before answering.

"Hello?" Hannah almost groans when she hears the voice on the other end and curses herself for not checking the caller ID first. It's her sister, Natalie. "Yes, mom told me you're coming to visit in a few weeks…I'll be sure to remember that…okay, bye." Hannah slams the end button harder then she meant to and really does groan this time.

"What?"

"My nineteen year old sister is coming from Chicago to visit me over her winter break, which is right when Sectionals are," Hannah says in an annoyed tone. The last thing she needs is her sister throwing her off her game.

"What is wrong with your sister?"

"Whenever she is around, everyone ignores me and spends all their time with her. She isn't even funny or smart; she's thin and beautiful."

"I won't do that to you," Alex says, sitting up again to off Hannah a sympathetic smile.

"Yeah, you haven't met her yet."

* * *

><p>"Alright boys, good practice. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon," the coach announces, releasing the athletes. Damian may love soccer more than anything else. Though it had been a routine practice, he knows any practice now is important. The first round of Regional qualifiers is next week and it's against none another than McKinley High School.<p>

"Nice goal during the first half, McGinty," Bryce says, clapping Damian on the back. Normally, a guy like Bryce would be on the football or basketball team. However, Asheville didn't have a football team and Bryce seems to prefer soccer to basketball anyway. Though Damian isn't very close to Bryce, it is nice having another boy on the glee club on the soccer team.

Damian begins collecting his stuff when he sees a girl walking towards him-Lindsay. "I thought I'd come watch you practice. I didn't have much else to do." Lindsay shivers slightly after saying that and Damian notes she is wearing her uniform without the blazer and it is only forty-five degrees outside. Damian reaches into his bag and throws her his jacket. She gratefully accepts it and shrugs it on to her shoulder.

After finishing getting all his stuff together, Damian begins walking back towards the dorms with Lindsay. "You really sat out in the cold for two hours to watch me play soccer?"

"Yeah, I've never really watch soccer and I thought it would be fun to try since one of my friends is on the team. It didn't think it would be that interesting…" And so it begins. Damian keeps forgetting that once you starting Lindsay on a topic, she doesn't stop. He tries at first to say a few words, but it proves useless. Eventually, he stops listening to her altogether, simply nodding when she says his name. Instead he thinks beating McKinley at the game on Monday.

Finally, the pair reaches the dorm and Lindsay stops going on about whatever topic she had been on. "It was really fun watching you play soccer. You're really good." Damian notices her blushing, finding it oddly out of character for her, but doesn't pay much mind to it. It must just be the cold.

"Thanks for watching me," Damian says, before heading left towards his own room.

"Wait!" Lindsay calls after him. Damian turns and sees her holding up his jacket. "Don't you want this back?"

"You can keep it for now," he tells her and begins walking again. Though it is his only jacket, he wouldn't need it any time soon. His coach didn't allow any of the boys to wear jackets at practice, claiming that not wearing them would toughen the boys up. But mostly he hopes Lindsay would appreciate the gesture.

* * *

><p>Despite a slow Tuesday for all the members, they all feel their spirits lifting by lunch. Though each of them is part of other social groups besides the glee club, all the members eat lunch together when they can. Today is one of those days, for Lindsay had called an unofficial Accents meeting. The last of group (Emily) sits down and Lindsay comes to the end of the table.<p>

"I have an exciting announcement! I talked it over with our coach and the dean and both have allowed us to take somewhat of a field trip this Saturday night to pick up sheet music for Sectionals," Lindsay tells everyone with a huge smile. The idea of getting out of Asheville for the day definitely is an exciting announcement. Almost everyone at the table begins talking about what they would wear or where they should go to "get the sheet music."

"Lindsay," Cameron calls over all the noise. Lindsay hushes everyone and looks directly at Cameron, causing everyone else to do so as well. "I don't think I'll be able to come with you guys. I, uh, have a date on Saturday. Maybe I can meet everyone afterwards." Only Damian wasn't shocked by the news of Cameron's date and he secretly hoped everyone would be critical of it, proving his point right. Damian looks to Marissa to see how she's reacting. Not well, seeing that she is stabbing her salad repeatedly with her fork.

"Who's it with?" Emily asks, poking Cameron teasingly on the shoulder from her spot next to him. He awkwardly runs a hand through his red hair like he always does and glances down at his food.

"Just this girl I used to know," Cameron tells Emily, though not meeting her eye. To Damian's disappointment, most of the guys congratulate him on the date and the girls start going into how cute it was. It seems only Damian, Hannah, and Marissa didn't care about Cameron's date. Actually, that wasn't true. Marissa did care…a lot.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note<em>

_Thanks for all the reviews from last chapter! _

_I am starting to establish some of the other character's plots. This chapter was for Alex, McKynleigh, and Hannah. I also started Damian and Lindsay. Some of the plots might run into each, others might not. It really depends. Also, I don't know if Hannah has a sister, but for the sake of the story she does. Reviews are appreciated, as are any plots or couples you want to see._


	4. Romantic Comedies

Cameron checks his watch for at least the fifth time. Its twenty minutes past one. He had called his date to move the dinner to lunch so that he could meet up with the glee club later and hopefully pass Marissa while he is escorting his date to her car. The lunch date was supposed to start at one. The last thing Cameron wants is to be stood up. That wouldn't prove anything to Marissa and her new boyfriend.

"Sorry," Imelda exclaims as she rushes to put her bags down and sit across from Cameron at the table. She is still wearing her show choir dress and a few beads of sweat are rolling down her face. "It's nice to see you again, Cam."

"I know, at least three years." Cameron still remembers middle school. He was a year younger than Imelda, but they still managed to be best friends. Imelda was his first girlfriend before he moved out of Carmel. Though Cameron didn't really like her like that, it had been nice to have a girlfriend especially since he was not very popular at his old school. Every single boy hated him and all the girls loved him until he started "dating" Imelda. Cameron was glad he got to move, but he did miss Imelda at first.

"I wish you had stayed. We could have been in Vocal Adrenaline together. I have so much to tell you. I'm repeating junior year, so we are in the same grade now. It is totally worth it since I get to be in Vocal Adrenaline for one extra year now. Oh, and that reminds me, our first coach, Shelby Corcoran, left two years ago. Apparently, she had some kid for a couple of gay guys…"

The lunch lasts for an hour and thirty minutes and Cameron decides this girl can give Lindsay a run for her money talking wise. At least Lindsay will make sure you are listening once in awhile. Imelda doesn't stop to ask Cameron one question about his glee club or how his new school is. Half way through, he realizes he should have just dealt with the fact Marissa was dating someone else instead of jumping on the opportunity to take his old middle school friend out to lunch and making her believe it is a date. He also realizes Damian will be rubbing this in his face later.

"I had a great time, Cam," Imelda says as they are walking to her car and not a moment too soon. Cameron is now hoping Marissa won't see them since Imelda will most likely just give him a pat on his shoulder or a friendly hug and Marissa will know he just planned this whole thing to try and make her jealous. "We should do this again." To Cameron's surprise, Imelda leans in to give him a kiss on the cheek before getting into her car and driving away.

Cameron smiles as she goes, but also hopes she won't call asking for another date. He thinks he is in the clear until he hears a wolf whistle from behind him. He turns around slowly to see a grinning Bryce, a giggling Hannah, a disappointed Damian, and a very upset looking Marissa. His heart screams at him to tell Marissa it was all just an elaborate and stupid plan, but his mind wins and all he gives the group is a small wave and a cheesy grin.

* * *

><p>Emily taps her foot impatiently. She has been standing in line to buy a necklace for what has seemed like an hour. Lindsay had told the group to meet back at two-thirty and it is two-twenty now. Emily honestly doesn't care about keeping Lindsay waiting, but she does want to get out of this line. She also wants to make sure Marissa isn't killing Cameron or vice versa. Though she is both of their friends, she can't wait for this whole thing to blow up in their faces.<p>

"Next please!"

"Finally," Emily groans and walks up to cashier. With the necklace paid for, Emily can finally rejoin her group. She collects her multiple shopping bags and begins walking towards the door. That is until two very toned and determined looking people stop right in front of her, bright, but somewhat fake looking smiles plastered on their faces. "Excuse me," Emily says through gritted teeth, trying to politely push by the teenagers.

"Are you Emily Vásquez?" the girl asks, still smiling.

"Yes," Emily says a bit uneasily. How do these people know who she is?

"Let us introduce ourselves," the boy begins. "I'm Asher Conners and this is Kelsi Myers. We are both in Vocal Adrenaline." The boy is definitely cute, Emily decides. He has ash blonde hair to match his name and large grey eyes. He is tall and muscular, like a Vocal Adrenaline member would be. However, he is part of the competition and Emily doesn't feel like getting in a battle with Lindsay like she did a few days ago when Lindsay found out the date she and Marissa went on was with McKinley boys, one who is in glee club.

Emily begins to push past the two, not caring for politeness now, but the girl pushes her back with surprising force. "Please, hear us out. We are always looking for fresh talent to be in Vocal Adrenaline and we think you're it. We know that you are a member of the Asheville show choir, but come on, is it really good enough for you? I'm sure you never get the solos you deserve thanks to that Lindsay girl."

Despite the truth to that statement, Emily is not easily persuaded. "Oh, and I'm going to get solos at Vocal Adrenaline, the show choir with fifty other members?"

"We can't guarantee immediate solos, but we can guarantee you a part of a national winning team. Just think about it. Here's our card," Asher says with a sly smile, handing Emily a business card, before leaving with his friend. Emily looks down at the card with a smile, knowing that if Hannah were here she could make at least five jokes about a show choir that handed out cards with their number on it. However, Emily tucks the card into her pocket, just in case.

"What was that?" Emily jumps at the sound of Bryce's voice before becoming slightly agitated. Yet another person getting in her way of leaving this store. So, she begins walking, not caring if Bryce decides to follow her or not.

Bryce doesn't follow because he does not need an answer from Emily to know what that exchange was. Emily is thinking about going to another team and that is definitely a piece of information he is going to be able to use.

* * *

><p>Lindsay searches yet another book of glee songs without finding one she wants to use. She hands the book back to Damian, who has been putting all the books back in their place when Lindsay is done, and moves on to the next. "We have looked through five books full of songs. Not one of the songs has called out to you?"<p>

Shaking her head, Lindsay continues flipping through her new book, stopping every so often to check one song, but soon starting up flipping again. "Rachel?" a voice asks from behind Lindsay, causing her to stop flipping and turn around to show she is not Rachel Berry. People have always seemed to get her confused with Rachel when looking at the back of her head. Lindsay has thought countless times of dying her hair to stop the confusion. "Sorry, my mistake, but hi, I'm Jesse St. James."

Lindsay shakes the guy's extended hand. "Lindsay Pearce, it's nice to meet you." Damian clears his throat slightly, reminding Lindsay that he's there. "Oh, and this is my friend, Damian." Jesse shakes Damian's hand, but only for a second before turning back to Lindsay.

"So, show choir songs, are you in the McKinley glee club?"

"Definitely not," Lindsay says with a small laugh. "Damian and I are in the new Asheville club. We are picking out songs for Sectionals."

"That's good. McKinley is overrated anyway. It is great to meet you Lindsay," he pauses to give Lindsay a dashing smile before saying, "Damian. Maybe I'll see you around." Jesse begins to leave and Damian doesn't mind at all, but Lindsay calls him back.

"Wait; let me give you my number." Damian watches as Lindsay programs her number in his phone skeptically. Jesse wasn't giving Damian a good vibe, especially since he doesn't give Lindsay his number, making her completely at his mercy. However, Damian gives the guy the benefit of the doubt, for now.

* * *

><p>"Open up," Marissa yells, pounding on Damian and Cameron's door. She continues pounding until Damian finally opens the door, looking slightly annoyed.<p>

"Cameron isn't here," Damian tells her and begins shutting the door. Marissa puts her foot in between to stop him and pushes open the door. "But why don't you come in a wait for him," Damian mutters as Marissa enters his room. He isn't sure why Marissa is here so close to curfew and why she is looking so angry. It is probably something to do with Cameron.

"Why would you let Lindsay give _Jesse St. James_ her number?" Marissa yells at him and Damian decides quickly that this has nothing to do with Cameron. Marissa is glaring at him heavily and looks about ready to strangle him.

"I don't see what the big deal is. He didn't seem that bad and Lindsay seemed to like him right away," Damian says with shrug, sitting on his bed to avoid Marissa. She doesn't seem to like the answer and goes to sit on Cameron's bed to keep staring him down.

"It is a very big deal. Jesse St. James is the biggest jerk on the planet. He totally screwed over Rachel Berry _twice_ and now he is going to do it to Lindsay. History always repeats itself," Marissa explains. As Marissa says this, Cameron enters the room, shocked to see Marissa not only in his room, but sitting on his bed. "Cameron, isn't Jesse St. James a total tool?"

"Oh, he's a total asshole," Cameron says with a nod and sits next to Marissa. "I knew him when I went to Carmel. He lived on my street and was always trying to make me and my friends do exactly what he said. He always had some girlfriend who he would get rid of when she was no more use to him. I never understood why girls would keep going out with him because he was totally jerk and a bit gay."

"Okay, I'm sorry I didn't stop them, but I didn't really know."

"I'll give you that," Marissa says, "But, now you are going to have to fix this."

"How?"

"Glad you asked," Marissa says with a grin. "You are going to tell Lindsay that you like her and start a relationship with her. In that situation, everyone gets what they want…except Jesse, I suppose."

"There is one problem with that scenario," Damian interrupts. "I don't like Lindsay like that. Sure, she is cute and nice enough, but she isn't really my type." Cameron and Marissa share a surprised glance. Both had thought Lindsay and Damian had a thing going on.

"But you gave her your jacket," Marissa point out.

"I was being nice."

"Well, it doesn't matter. You are going to seduce Lindsay and stop her from going out with Jesses St. Jerk," Marissa tells Damian.

"American romantic comedies really do exist," Damian says thoughtfully before sighing bitterly. "I guess I can convince Lindsay I like her, but if she gets hurt in the process, I am putting it all on you two." Cameron and Marissa both give Damian a smile. He just rolls his eyes them and grabs his stuff to get ready for bed, leaving Cameron and Marissa in the room alone.

"Do you really think this is going to work?" Cameron asks skeptically.

"If it works in movies, it will work in this case. Goodnight, Cameron," Marissa says softly, getting up and leaving the room. Unknowingly to each other, both are feeling very happy at the fact they had a normal conversation without mentioning boyfriends or girlfriends and both wish it could be like that all the time.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note<em>

_Shorter chapter than usual, but I think this turned out pretty well. I'll give a shout out to anyone who can tell me where I got Imelda from and hint, she was a character in Glee. Tell me what you think about Emily being poached, Lindsay meeting Jesse, and Cameron and Marissa plotting to get Damian with Lindsay. But most importantly, review!_


	5. Don't Forget

Marissa and Cameron set their trays down at the usual Accents table across from one another, mutually deciding to forget their issues in order to make sure Damian followed their plan. "So, it will just be you, me, Damian, and Lindsay today, right?" Marissa asks, hoping Cameron remembered to ask everyone their lunch schedules and make sure no one would intimidate Damian from flirting with Lindsay.

"Yeah, McKynleigh has a student council thing, Hannah and Alex have some class, Samuel and Matheus went to do who knows what, and I convinced Ellis, Bryce, and Emily to sit elsewhere," Cameron confirms, putting Marissa more at ease. "Are we sure Damian can do this? Lindsay might not even give him a chance to flirt with her."

"I'm positive. When Damian first got here, all Emily and I heard was how cute and sweet Damian is. The minute he starts turning on the Irish charm, she's toast," Marissa says, jokingly giving Cameron a devious smile to make him laugh.

Cameron does laugh, but only for a few seconds before turning serious again. "But are you sure we want to go through with this? Damian is right, like he always is. If Lindsay gets hurt, it's going to be our fault, not Damian's."

"Are you going soft on me, Mitchell?"

This time, Cameron laughs for a longer time and doesn't look at all serious afterwards. "Definitely not." He pauses, looking at Marissa with a small smile. "This reminds me a lot of our old conversations. You know, before…"

"We said we wouldn't make this awkward."

"Sorry." But, the moment is over and the two sit in an awkward silence until Lindsay comes to sit down, bringing her usual wealth of conversation and cheerfulness with her.

"Where is everyone today? I came out of line and only saw you two sitting here. I thought at first you guys were on some kind of date, but then I didn't see anyone else spying on you at other tables nearby, so I guessed they are all just off somewhere else." When Lindsay finishes talking to sit down, she notices Marissa and Cameron blushing and looking down at their trays. She shrugs to herself, figuring it must be about her mentioning them being on a date.

"Hey guys," Damian greets, taking the spot next to Marissa. The next minute or so goes by in complete silence before Marissa elbows Damian sharply in the ribs to get him to say something, anything. "So Lindsay, I was wondering if…"

Damian is cut off by Lindsay's phone ringing, giving him momentary relief. He had no idea what he was going to say before. He waits for Lindsay to finish checking her new message, having something better to say now about her helping him with his range. "Aw, Jesse texted me."

"Already," Damian blurts out in shock, sounding more jealous than he actually is.

"He wants to know if I want to have dinner Friday night. Do you think I should say yes?"

Marissa eyes Damian, urging him to say something against Jesse and his Friday dinner date. "Uh, Lindsay, I was kinda hoping you would help me work on my range this Friday night. You know, if you want to." From the grin on Marissa's face, Damian knows he made the right move. Now he just has to see if Lindsay accepts his date over Jesse's.

"Oh," Lindsay says in surprise. "That sounds like a good idea. I'm pretty good at the singing thing, so yes, I would be happy, delighted even to…" For once, Lindsay can't find the words to accept Damian's invitation. Instead, her fingers fly on the keyboard of her phone, rejecting Jesse. "There, I am all yours Friday night…I don't mean yours, like your girl or anything, but-"

"I can't wait," Damian says to cut off her rambling. Marissa shares a smile with Cameron over their progress. The only thing that could make this any better is if Damian actually wanted to go on a date with Lindsay and wasn't just doing it for them.

* * *

><p>"Come on, man. You can do it." Matheus pushes Samuel forward slightly, hoping he would get the hint and start walking towards the blonde haired girl by himself. They have already been out here for twenty minutes and Quinn wouldn't be waiting for a ride for long. "Look, you already struck out at lunch, and soon or later, someone will notice we are gone."<p>

"Like your girlfriend, Hannah?" Samuel questions, a slick grin on his face.

Matheus hides a blush and punches Samuel on the shoulder. "She isn't my girlfriend, but this girl could be yours, so go for it. If you don't, I will. Now go!" Matheus gives Samuel one final push. This time, he begins trudging towards his old classmate, hoping she wouldn't remember everything that happened during grade school.

"Quinn Fabray?" Quinn looks up from her text book, squinting a bit.

"Do I know you?"

Samuel feels a bit better that she doesn't immediately know who he is and then refuse to talk to him. "I'm Samuel Larsen; we used to go to school together."

"You went to Lima Middle School?"

"Um, no. I knew you a bit before that." Quinn's face goes pale at the thought the cute guy in front of her knew her when she was Lucy. She begins throwing her stuff in her bag and not meeting Samuel's eyes. "Wait, before you go, I was wondering if you want to go out some time."

"Really? Is it because I'm hot now?" Quinn asks bitterly, looking behind Samuel to see if her mom is here yet to save her from this embarrassing walk down memory lane with a boy she doesn't remember even though he remembers her.

"No," Samuel objects, "I wanted to catch up. Say, Saturday night?"

"Make it Friday," Quinn says before leaving with her mother. Samuel awkwardly waves good-bye to the fleeting car and walks back over to Matheus.

"Congratulations on saving yourself from looking like a total asshole," Matheus says, patting Samuel on the back. The two begin heading towards the bus stop, Samuel's head down the whole time.

"I still feel like a total asshole."

"Don't beat yourself up about this, you came wanting to apologize. Sure, her looking hotter definitely helped the reunion, but it's not like that's the only reason you came looking for her," Matheus reassures Samuel. "Anyway, now you have a date for Friday night."

"Maybe Quinn and I can double date with you and Hannah," Samuel jokes, feeling a bit better after his encounter with Quinn.

"You know, you are an asshole."

* * *

><p>"Maybe I should call Blaine," Alex begins, but Hannah immediately waves a finger at him and swipes up his phone from his nightstand. "I was kidding!"<p>

"Sure you were," Hannah says cheerfully, but refuses to release the phone. "You said after your last dinner that you wouldn't ever see Blaine or Kurt every again and as your wing woman, I am forbidding you from ever calling Blaine because I know calling him will lead to a whole new set of dinner, lunch, or even brunch dates. You really don't want to be the third wheel who is in love with one the people in the couple, trust me."

"When were you ever in that situation?"

"Don't act like it can't happen to me! But you're right, it wasn't me. My sister liked her best friend's boyfriend when she was a junior in high school and it was really awkward for her," Hannah explains to Alex, hoping it will sway him away from hanging around Kurt and Blaine.

"What happened?"

"Um-" Hannah had been hoping Alex wouldn't ask that question and unfortunately, she is terrible at lying. "My sister ended up stealing the boyfriend, but don't let that story get your hopes up! That only happens when you are sneaking and conniving like my sister…who is coming in only two weeks." The last thing Hannah wants is to think about her sister and the visit, but it just keeps popping up in her mind.

"Can I at least have my phone to call my cousin?" Alex pleads and Hannah throws the phone in his directions. He gives her a large smile before pressing speed dial number four on his phone. "Hey Mercedes! I know, it has been awhile since we hanged out. I won't tell if you don't tell. Sure, he can come along. I can't wait till then. Breadsticks at six, sounds great. Bye, hun."

"Oh, I love Mercedes!" Hannah exclaims. "Can I come to the dinner too, since she is bringing a date?" Hannah catches a guilty look on Alex's face and quickly puts the pieces together. Mercedes goes to McKinley and is in the glee club. Blaine's boyfriend goes to McKinley and is in the glee club. Mercedes has talked about her gay friend before. "You didn't!"

"You said I shouldn't be the third wheel."

Hannah presses her face into Alex's pillow and groans. Of course Alex would take her advice, but put it completely out of context. Hannah just doesn't understand boys and their obsession with girls (or boys) that they can't have.

* * *

><p>The final school bell rings Tuesday afternoon and the members of Accents begin filing into the choir room. The coach, Mrs. Pace, is already sitting on a stool at the front of the room, waiting for everyone to arrive before beginning today's meeting. Emily is last as usual getting into the room, causing a light hearted look of impatience in her direction from Mrs. Pace. She takes her usual seat next to McKinley and Matheus, allowing Mrs. Pace to begin.<p>

"Sectionals are only three weeks away, so it is time to start buckling down. I know some of you have other things to worry about like soccer qualifiers and student council duties, so I am only going to hand out the duet today so the two can get started. However, the group number is going to be learned by next Friday." Mrs. Pace takes out two sets of sheet music with the title _A Whole New World_ on it.

Emily crosses her fingers, though she knows she doesn't need the luck. She is sure she is a shoe in for the female lead. She auditioned with Samuel last week and they had kicked ass. Lindsay, despite always getting the solos, didn't stand a chance. Sitting on the edge of her seat like everyone else, Emily smiles, just waiting to run up and snatch the music. "Congratulations, Lindsay and Cameron!"

Everyone in the room claps lightly for the pair…except Emily. She grits her teeth into a fake smile and crosses her arms over her chest. How could she have lost? She sang her heart out. Emily waits until Mrs. Pace dismisses everyone, but Lindsay and Cameron to whip out her cell phone. Opening her wallet, she snatches the car given to her three days prior and quickly dials it. The two teens from Vocal Adrenaline were right, she deserved much better than Asheville and it's time she got it.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note<em>

_Another short chapter, sorry about that. The next chapter will definitely be a bit longer. Thanks for all the great reviews regarding my story. It is greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone wants to offer any plots for Ellis, please feel free to put them in your review. I am having trouble finding a place to fit her in. Anyway, thanks for reading and please review. It makes my day._


	6. Unexpectedly Moving On

Hannah peeks over her menu to see Alex is still sitting alone. She knows that Alex is far too bold on many occasions and she is prepared to step in if things get flirty. Next to her, Matheus is also peeking over his menu, but for a different reason. Samuel, though usually smooth with girls, seemed awkward around Quinn when he asked her out. He wants to make sure his friend doesn't screw it up with this girl. Samuel has backed out of too many good relationships, including people he still hangs around with, but that is another story.

Though she has no person to spy on, Ellis is also sitting at the table, actually contemplating the menu. The three sit in silence until a bored looking waitress with too much make-up and not enough hair care products comes to take their order.

"Ill have-"

Ellis is cut off by Hannah. "We need a bit more time." The waitress looks delighted to not have to write anything down and strolls away. Ellis sends a glare stemming from her hunger. "What? We have a bit more than food to worry about. Alex is about to ruin a perfectly good and adorable relationship and Samuel is about to start one."

"Yes, and us meddling obviously requires a lack of food," Ellis deadpans. She is ignored by both her companions, who are intently watching their respected target. "We could have at least gotten our drinks and breadsticks," Ellis grumbles, but says no more until she sees someone coming into the restaurant. "Isn't that the girl Samuel is meeting?" Matheus snaps his head towards the door and catches a glance of Quinn Fabray.

Samuel sees her as well and waves her to the table. Like a gentleman, he gets up and pulls out her chair. Matheus grins, so far so good. "Oh, she's cute," Hannah says with a smile, but her eyes keep flickering back towards the door. She groans when she sees Alex's cousin and crush come through the door. Any hope they wouldn't come is now dashed. They make their way to Alex's table and hugs are exchanged. Hannah keeps her eyes on Alex the whole time.

The waitress comes back over and Ellis begins pointing out her order on the menu. "Can we just have some water, please," Matheus asks, sending the waitress away again.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"I got you a water," Matheus defends, but he isn't even looking at Ellis. His eyes are still on Samuel's table, where everything seems to be running smoothly. They are both laughing. "I knew it," Matheus says, congratulating himself.

Hannah is also smiling. Alex seems to be on his best behavior, happily chatting with Mercedes and not just gawking at Kurt. "I don't think either of us have anything to worry about," Hannah tells Matheus and the two high five.

"Now can we order!" Ellis says in relief and motions for the waitress to come over. "We will start with your biggest order of nachos with extra of whatever comes on them and-"

"What is she doing?" Matheus asks suddenly, staring at Quinn and Samuel. Quinn looks furious and is screaming at Samuel. He, in turn, is looking at the table guiltily. Matheus doesn't bother trying to listen to what Quinn is yelling about. Instead, he turns to the waitress and says urgently, "You need to take their order, now!"

"They aren't even in my section," the waitress protests.

"We'll tip extra." The waitress and Ellis both groan and the waitress leaves for Samuel's table. However, her arrival does not good. Quinn stands up abruptly, throws her glass of water at Samuel's face, and storms out. Everyone in the restaurant stares in shock at Samuel, waiting for him to do something, anything. All he does is sit there, looking at the table with little emotion except guilt.

"Great," Matheus mutters. Hannah would be more sympathetic towards Matheus if it wasn't for what was happening at her own table. Mercedes is leaving to go after the distraught Quinn, leaving Alex alone with Kurt.

"This is not good." Hannah glances around the restaurant, wondering what to do. The waitress wasn't going to do them another favor, even for a bigger tip. However, luck seems to be in Hannah's favor. "And the Warblers come through!" Sure enough, Blaine and a few of his Warbler friends come through the door, immediately distracting Kurt from whatever Alex is saying.

"Well, at least your night worked out," Matheus says glumly.

Hannah puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure Samuel will fix whatever he did. He is a big boy. Now I heard Ellis ordering a big plate of nachos, when will that be coming out?" But Ellis isn't focused on food anymore. She is too busy staring at one of the boys who come along with Blaine. The boy has blonde hair and a cute face, a face Ellis hasn't seen in two years.

"We need to leave," Ellis says quickly, pushing out her chair.

"What?" Matheus asks, looking at Ellis like she has gone crazy.

"I'll even pay," Ellis says, slamming a twenty on to the table. She turns her head a bit to see if the boys are still there. They are at Alex and Kurt's table, chatting away. None of them seem to have any intention of turning around to glance at their table, but it doesn't mean he can't still spot her.

"But, we didn't buy anything," Hannah says in confusion, but Ellis is already making a beeline towards the door. Matheus and Hannah share a glance wondering what has gotten into Ellis, but they follow her none the less. They would be asking about this later.

* * *

><p>"How long do you think they'll be?" Marissa asks Cameron, lying back a bit on Damian's bed.<p>

"I told Damian just to make sure she doesn't have time after to go on a date with Jesse," Cameron replies while rummaging through his drawer for his sheet music. He and Lindsay are practicing tomorrow for their Sectionals duet and he knows Lindsay will kill him for losing the music. He runs his hand through his hair, something he did often when frustrated.

"Are you starting to think what we are doing is wrong?"

"Now who's going soft?" Cameron asks teasingly. Marissa rolls her eyes at him, but hopes he can't detect her blush. She is about to retaliate when her phone rings. Glancing down at her screen, she sees it is an unknown number. Marissa contemplates answering, but finally decides just to see who it is.

"Hello?"

"Marissa," the person on the other line asks. Marissa hears that it is a boy with a gruff voice. "It's Dave Karofsky."

"Um, hi," Marissa says, running a hand through her hair like Cameron did a moment before. She hasn't heard from him since their date a few weeks ago. The date was so awkward that Marissa thought he wouldn't want to see her again and honestly, she was okay with that. She is also starting to think she and Cameron are getting back to a good place and starting a relationship with this boy wouldn't help that whatsoever.

"Some people from McKinley are throwing a party tomorrow night and I was wondering if you wanted to come as my date," Dave says, sounding a bit uncomfortable.

Marissa pauses for a minute, taking a quick glance at Cameron. He hasn't given her one look since she took the phone call. Marissa knows it is a bad idea to go to the party. It would be just as uncomfortable as their first date and this time she wouldn't be with Emily, but instead with people she doesn't know. All of this points her to saying no, but instead her mouth says, "That sounds great. How about I meet you at McKinley and we can drive there?"

"That sounds great. See you then." Dave doesn't sound very enthusiastic and he hangs up before Marissa can say goodbye. She turns off her phone and throws it to the end of the bed, still not sure why she accepted the invitation.

"Who was that?" Cameron asks, still sifting through the clutter in his drawers. Marissa knows she shouldn't tell Cameron who it was. Her mind begins forming ideas of who she could say it was. She couldn't say no one, Cameron would see right through that. She also couldn't say someone like her mother or anyone at Asheville because she wouldn't ever meet them at McKinley.

Just like before, her mouth decides to answer before her mind can think of the best answer. "It was Dave, that guy I had a date with a few weeks ago. He invited me to a party tomorrow and I said I would go." Marissa curses in her head for not thinking of something to say and just telling him the truth.

Cameron freezes instantly, processing what he just heard. "Uh, I think I left my sheet music in my locker. I should probably go get it. I only have, like, fourteen hours until I have to meet Lindsay. You can stay here if you want." Cameron doesn't say anything else and rushes out the door without even glancing once in Marissa's direction. Just like Dave on the phone, Cameron doesn't give her the chance to say goodbye, leaving Marissa thinking she isn't very good with boys.

* * *

><p>"Come on, Damian," Lindsay groans, doing her best to not seem too annoyed with him.<p>

"I'm trying my best," the Irish boy replies, but it is a lie. He is actually trying his best to be purposely bad. He needs to run down the clock, like Cameron said to do. It is already eight so he only has to lie to her for another thirty minutes or so. "Maybe we can just start from the chorus?"

"Let's take a break," Lindsay says with a sigh. She thinks Damian is cute and all, but he is getting on her last nerve. It is like he is trying to be bad. Of course, Lindsay immediately rejects that idea. Why would he make himself bad and waste their time? Unless, he wants to spend more time with her. Lindsay blushes at the thought and pats the space on the piano bench so Damian will sit.

Damian obliges, trying not to look uncomfortable sitting so close to Lindsay. He is getting more and more nervous Lindsay will catch on and be upset with him. He liked Lindsay as a friend and didn't want her to get hurt. However, it seems like it is coming closer and closer to that. "So, Lindsay, sorry I had to make you miss your date with Jesse."

"I don't mind. I like helping you."

"Really…" Damian becomes aware of just how close he is to her and how she seems to be scooting in closer to him. He scratches his neck and looks away from Lindsay, but remembering the plan, he looks back again. "You really don't mind helping me, even though I haven't been very-"

"I don't mind at all," Lindsay breathes, her face just inches away from his. She leans in, her lips brushing against his. That is when Damian pulls away, getting up from the bench. He has never been at such a loss for words. Does he tell her the whole thing and lose her trust forever? Or does he tell her something like that he is gay to spare her feeling just a bit? "What's wrong?"

"Lindsay," Damian starts, deciding to tell her the truth. "I don't like you like that. This was all a plan that Marissa and Cameron concocted so you wouldn't go on a date with Jesse. They think he is a jerk and that he would just hurt you. I went along with it because you're my friend and I didn't want you to get hurt." _And it turns out I'm the one who ended up hurting you._

"How could you do this to me?" Lindsay asks in a whisper, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. She stands up, cheeks flushed from humiliation. She begins gathering her stuff frantically, avoiding Damian's eyes.

"Lindsay, I am so-"

"Save it!" she snaps, slinging her bag on to her shoulder. "I can't believe you would deceive me like that. I'm going to call Jesse see if he still wants to go to dinner." Lindsay walks out and takes her phone out of her pocket, dialing Jesse's number. Little does she know, Jesse is with someone that Lindsay would definitely recognize.

* * *

><p>Emily definitely like Carmel High. She had spent the whole day visiting with her parents after telling them she wants to transfer. Now, she is hanging out with some Vocal Adrenaline member in their larger than life auditorium. They are just as talented and fun as the Accents and they have had much more success in the past. Yes, Emily really likes Carmel High.<p>

"Look," Kelsi points out, a bit tipsy. "It's our assistant coach, Jesse St. James. Hey, Jesse! Over here!" Kelsi waves the boy over despite protests from her fellow, less drunk members. However, Emily doesn't contribute. She wants to meet the infamous Jesse St. James. The curly haired, ex-college boy walks over to join the members.

Emily observes him as he interacts with the members. He is flamboyant and self-absorbed, definitely a player despite his obsession with Broadway and proper hair care. Emily finds herself licking her lips at a new possible boyfriend. She hasn't gotten a chance to talk to him yet, but the group is thinning and Emily gets the perfect opportunity to approach him.

"Emily Vásquez," the raven haired girl says, giving Jesse a sultry look.

He smirks at her. "You're new. I'm Jesse St. James." Emily holds her tongue to stop herself from saying I know. "What brings you to Vocal Adrenaline?"

"Let's just say my old glee club didn't provide me with enough opportunities."

"You've come to the right place. This is a winning machine. Want to see my show face?" Emily stifles a laugh at this. Jesse is so deep into glee that he uses it to impress girls. Still, he is cute and they both seem to jump from person to person. They could create quite an affair. Just when she is about to respond in a flirty manner, Jesse's phone buzzes.

He glances at the screen then back at her. "I have to take this, but I'll be back in just a second."

"I'll be waiting," Emily says with a toothy grin that drops the minute Jesse turns around. It is replaced by a pondering frown. Did his phone screen say Lindsay Pearce?

* * *

><p>"Excuse me?" Lindsay asks, trying to stop her voice from wavering too much. Her face is still sticky from the tears and her breath is still heavy. She tries to process what Jesse just said to her. Is he already dumping her even though they haven't had one date? This is just the cherry on top of the worst night of her life.<p>

"You just don't have the talent that I am looking for. Your club isn't even off the ground yet and you won't stand a chance at Sectionals. I need to date someone with a successful background. Sorry, Lisa," Jesse explains.

The tears are falling again. "It's Lindsay!" she screams into the phone, but he has already hung up. Lindsay would throw her phone to the ground if it wasn't so expensive. Instead, she just sobs and wanders aimlessly around the halls of Asheville, wondering why she isn't good enough for anyone. She apparently has no talent or not enough talent for both Damian and Jesse. And worst of all, she is now full of self pity and desperation.

She continues to walk around without direction until she hears the sound of a locker slamming and footsteps coming her way. She thinks about hiding, but what's the point? This isn't a teacher or another member of the faculty since they were in a locker, so cares if some student sees her cry. They'll think she is just being a drama queen and move on.

"Lindsay? Are you okay?" Cameron. Lindsay thinks about throwing her bag at him for the part he had in deceiving her. However, he just wanted to protect her from the heartbreak that just happened. So, instead of hitting him, she flings herself into his arms and cries into his chest. Cameron awkwardly pats her back, not sure what she is going to do next.

"You're a really good friend, Cameron," Lindsay mutters through her sobs.

"No problem," Cameron says, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. But as he does, she pulls back a bit. She looks into his eyes for a moment before standing on her tiptoes and pressing her lips to his. For the second time tonight, Cameron freezes up in shock and thinks about fleeing again. But, where is he going to go. Why shouldn't he get to kiss Lindsay? Marissa is going out with that Dave guy and Damian doesn't even like her. Lindsay is a great girl and maybe she is just what Cameron needs.

So, he kisses her back and doesn't back away when Lindsay wraps her arms around his neck. Instead, he wraps his arms around her waist and lifts her up slightly. Yes, this is what he needs even if it might to a whole new set of problems.

* * *

><p><strong>First, sorry for not updating in awhile. I'm on vacation and I don't have much access to a computer. Second, don't worry about CameronMarissa and Damian/Lindsay. I just have this new obsession with Cameron/Lindsay so I had to add them in somewhere. It also creates more drama between the four. I hope you guys haven't lost faith in me. I will try to update faster. Also, Ellis has a plot which I am very happy about! Any guesses as to who Samuel used to date? Review! **


	7. Broken and Rejected

Monday, Asheville is buzzing with new gossip that came over the weekend. Besides a pregnancy scare from a sophomore girl, one piece of information is spreading like wildfire across the school: Lindsay Pearce and Cameron Mitchell's steamy, new relationship.

Unlike McKinley, glee club, while not the most sought after club, is a respectable club at Asheville. Also, Lindsay and Cameron are both popular in different ways. Lindsay is a star volleyball player when she isn't singing in the choir room and Cameron is known as silent, but deadly ladies man. The added fact that pairing is unexpected makes it all the more interesting and news worthy.

By second period, all sorts of rumors are surrounding the two. A biology class hears the couple got together by hooking up in the teachers' lounge. Someone passes around the junior hall that Cameron seduced her in the corner of the student lounge. Though many of the rumors have no ground, no one can deny the two are now a couple. The only people by third period who haven't heard the news are probably the people who will react the worst.

* * *

><p>Damian scribbles some notes down in his notebook during his third period history class. Next to him, a girl is giggling at a note she just received. The girl scrawls out a response at passes it back. Soon, the note has made a full circle around the room and lands on Damian's paper. The Irish boy usually hates mindless gossip, but the fact that everyone had read the note prompts him to at least see what his class is making such a fuss about.<p>

He unfolds the note and finds many different colors of pen ink and many different notes on the paper. However, the main point of the note is in the center. _Did you hear about Cameron and Lindsay? I heard they hooked up on one of the tables in the cafeteria. _There are many other snippets of stories and rumors on the paper, but it is the one in the center that causes Damian yell, "What!"

Everyone stops writing to turn to look at Damian, who is blushing furiously from embarrassment. The teacher sends a sharp look in his direction. "Mr. McGinty?" Despite his slip before, Damian has the sense to slip the note into his notebook so the teacher doesn't confiscate it and read it to the class. He doesn't want to read it for a second time. "I will be seeing you after class."

* * *

><p>If Damian hadn't been held after class, he could have met Marissa in the hall while walking to next class, which they shared together, and warned her about the couple. However, Marissa is left to walk with Emily, who is chatting in her ear about something that has to do with Carmel and some new guy she met there. Marissa swears she hears Emily saying she might transfer, but she has other things on her mind.<p>

The party Saturday night was not as bad as Marissa thought it would be. Dave was much more social around people he was comfortable with. However, he still seemed so awkward when talking to her. It was like he was forcing himself to enjoy being around her. Yet, she agreed to yet another date with him at another party.

Marissa might have missed the new couple completely if it wasn't for Emily hitting her arm at the sight. There they are, Cameron and Lindsay. Their hands are intertwined and Lindsay is chattering as usual, but now she has a captive audience. However, Cameron seems happy to listen, smiling down at her every so often. Lindsay takes a breaking from talking for a second to wave at Marissa and Emily. The wave is in good nature and Lindsay keeps the bright smile on her face.

"That bitch," Emily says in outrage after Cameron and Lindsay are out of sight.

"She didn't know," Marissa mutter, but she is wondering what the hell happened between Friday night and Sunday night. Damian was supposed to be seducing her, not Cameron. And even if she found out about their plan and got mad at Damian, didn't he say he would blame it all on Cameron and her? Why would she forgive Cameron so quickly? Lindsay can hold grudges for weeks.

"Oh please, everyone knows about you two," Emily responds, looking about ready to run after Lindsay and tell her all of this.

"And everybody also knows I have been seeing Dave," Marissa points out. Marissa genuinely didn't want Emily to blame Lindsay for all of this. It is probably a result of the guilt of how she deceived Lindsay. She prevented her friend from having a relationship, even if it was with a total jerk. Lindsay deserves to have a nice boyfriend. Though, Marissa would have preferred the boy not being Cameron.

"I thought you were telling me about Lindsay getting a date with some other guy."

"Yeah, but he was a total asshole. Jesse St. James, everyone hates him."

Emily halts for a second, her face frozen in shock. She begins walking again and says, "It is probably for the best, Lindsay dating Cameron. You have Dave now and Cameron deserves someone nice…well, nice enough. I'm sure they will be very happy together. Here's my class, bye." Emily waves a quick goodbye to Marissa and ducks into the classroom.

If it wasn't for the fact Marissa is still trying to figure out the Lindsay and Cameron situation, she would wonder why Emily changed her mind so fast about Lindsay stealing Cameron.

* * *

><p>The rest of the Accents seem fine with Lindsay and Cameron, but if they aren't, they are doing a good job acting like they are. The club is in their usual spot in the lounge, the couches in the back. Everyone is in their usual spots except for one change. Instead of Cameron sitting on the smaller couch with Damian like he always does, he is on the larger couch with Samuel, McKynleigh, and Lindsay, who is sitting on his lap.<p>

Upon seeing this, Damian tries to put a smile on his face instead of grimacing. The worst part about having to do this is that he doesn't know why he has to. He had to see them at various points of the day and he always felt that same drop in the pit of his stomach. It drove him crazy then and it is driving him crazy now. He rejected her a few nights ago, why is seeing her with someone else, his best friend even, making him go insane with what feels like jealousy?

The group goes a whole twenty minutes before anyone brings up the couple. "So, I have been hearing too many rumors. How did it really happen?" Emily asks, a smirk on her face. Marissa just doesn't understand how she went from being angry at Lindsay to delight that she is dating Cameron.

Cameron and Lindsay share a nervous look, neither wanting to tell how it really happened. "Uh, it kind of just happened," Lindsay says slowly, trying to act nonchalant. Cameron looks down at Lindsay, silently laughing at her lame excuse, but if it gets them out of the hot seat, he is okay with it.

No one seems to like the answer, but no one badgers them. Soon, the group is chatting and laughing like they always do until, "I have a letter here for McKynleigh Abraham."

"That's me," McKynleigh waves from the couch. The secretary hands her the letter, evaluates the group, shrugs, and walks away. Hannah makes a joke to Ellis and Matheus, causing them to laugh, but most of the club is wondering what the letter McKynleigh is holding is about. Everyone, except Marissa.

"I bet that's your acceptance letter," Marissa says with a grin.

"You mean the letter that tells me whether I got accepted or not," McKynleigh corrects and begins opening the envelope.

Bryce decides to ask the question. "Accepted to what?"

"Just this program in DC," McKynleigh explains, taking the letter out of the envelope. A few people make comments, but everyone wants to know if she is accepted or not.

"Well, read it out loud," Marissa urges.

"Dear Ms. Abraham, congratulations on being accepted to our 2011 program. This camp will span one week in December from…" McKynleigh, who had been smiling from the moment she read that she got in, suddenly frowns. This couldn't be right. The program is scheduled during the same week as Sectionals.

"When is it?" Lindsay asks, leaning to read over her shoulder. Lindsay stops smiling as well. "It's the first week of December. That will overlap with Sectionals." No one says anything for a really long time. McKynleigh carefully weighs her options. She could go to the program and disappoint all her fellow teammates and blow their chances at Sectionals or she could not go to the program and blow her own chance at Student Body President next year. "Well you aren't going to go, right?"

A few people glare at Lindsay, though they all silently agree with her. They couldn't find another person on such short notice, they just couldn't. McKynleigh shakes her head, "I don't know." She carefully tucks the letter back into its envelope and heads out of the lounge. Marissa, suddenly feeling the weight of everyone's feelings settling in, goes to run after McKynleigh.

Silence settles over the remaining members until they slowly begin trickling out. Soon, only Cameron, Lindsay, and Damian remain. "What are we going to do?" Lindsay asks. "We need twelve members to compete and we aren't going to be able to find someone else to fill her spot."

"Mrs. Pace will figure something out," Cameron reassures her and kisses the top of her head. Damian feels that jealousy rushing in again and finds himself getting up and walking out. He is going to have to deal with them possible for a long time, but he doesn't want to start dealing with it now.

* * *

><p>"Let's go, Asheville!" This phrase competes with, "Let's go, Carmel!" Though it is only Sectionals the Accents are focusing on, the Asheville soccer team is playing in Regionals against the Carmel soccer. All the members of the glee club are at the game to support Damian and Bryce. It is coming to the end of the first half and Asheville is winning one to zero.<p>

Lindsay snuggles closer to Cameron, freezing in the near winter weather. Cameron removes his arm from her shoulder for a minute to take of his jacket and offers it to her. This moment draws her back to a memory of the day she watched Damian play during practice and he gave her his jacket. This sparks a bit of anger in Lindsay. He was only lying to her the whole time.

Despite now being cold, Cameron actually feels very happy. Lindsay might not be the perfect person, but she is a surprisingly good girlfriend. Somehow, all the drama that had been going on between Marissa and him seemed to have melted away. Though, he hopes Marissa is okay with all of this. She hasn't said anything, but he heard from Emily that she is going out with that Dave guy again. Everything seems okay and it should stay that way.

Damian knows he should be focusing on winning this and moving on to State, but his eyes keep flickering to the stands and to two people in particular. Lindsay and Cameron are on the top bench of the Asheville bleachers with the rest of the Accents, sitting with his arm around her shoulder and her head on his chest.

There is only a minute left and Damian is playing offence, his usual position. The ball is blocked by goalie Bryce and is being dribbled back down the field. Damian feels himself running, but his mind and eyes are elsewhere. The bleachers, to be precise. Something inside him couldn't get over Cameron and Lindsay, sitting so contently together. She is even wearing his jacket.

"McGinty!" someone yells and he tries to snap back into focus. He sees the ball being passed his way and he runs to get it. He hears his friends cheering him on, but he feels himself losing it again. He is too distracted by them. Suddenly, the ground is rushing up to meet him and he hears two things, the crowd gasping and his arm breaking.

* * *

><p><strong>Double update all the way across the sky! I thought it is the least I could do since I left you waiting for so long. Anyway, poor Damian, he is realizing his feelings to late and he just broke his arm. I hope you guys liked this chapter. It will probably be less focused on DamianLindsay/Cameron/Marissa next chapter and more on Samuel/Quinn and some other couples. Reviews would be great.**


	8. Uninvited Company

When Damian wakes up a few hours later, the first thing he notices is the ache in his right arm. The second thing is all the noise going on around him. All the conversations bunch together, but he can still make out some of the dominant voices. Alex and Lindsay are definitely here, probably meaning the whole club is here as well. Damian is timid to open his eyes at first, not wanting to hear the yelling at the fact he woke up. However, he finally opens one eye to get a look at things around him and sure enough, the whole club is stationed around him.

"Damian!" Lindsay yells, the first to notice he is awake. Just like Damian assumed, everyone begins yelling his name and greeting him. Almost all of the girls gather around to give him a hug and a few of the boys pat him on the back.

Emily is the first to speak a full sentence after Damian wakes up. "Boy, what happened out there? I though you lost your little, green mind." Damian swallows hard and glances down to his side. Lindsay is sitting on the bed right next to him, waiting for an answer. Looking up just slightly, he sees Cameron standing right beside her, giving him a friendly smile.

"Uh, I just lost focus and tripped," he lies and throws in a shrug. Before anyone can ask what made him lose focus, Damian adds, "So, did we end up winning the game?"

Everyone starts avoiding Damian eyes, silently telling him Carmel came back to beat them in the end and it is probably his fault. "We'll get 'em next year," Bryce assures him, but his face is somber. The loss definitely hit him hardest. Damian loves playing, but Bryce is one of the most devoted players on the team. Next year will also be his last year playing, which means no back to back victory for him. The guilt Damian feels is almost as bad as the ache in his arm.

Glancing at the clock, Damian sees it is already ten. Everyone has been here waiting for him for four hours. That only adds to the guilt. "You guys don't have to stay here. I'll be fine." The group protests, but eventually ends up filtering out. Hannah, Cameron, and Lindsay stay behind, but soon the two girls have to leave as well. Damian makes sure to look away when Cameron and Lindsay kiss good-bye.

"Feel better, Mr. Leprechaun," Hannah calls back as she leaves. Damian cracks a smile and yells good-bye after her. Now, only Cameron is left. Though he is trying not to feel awkward around his roommate, he can't help it. He tries not to be obvious, since Cameron has no idea he is having a hard time accepting him and Lindsay.

Cameron pulls up a chair to sit beside Damian. "The nurse says you should stay here over night."

"Doesn't mean you have to stay."

"Dude, you're my roommate. I can't leave you," Cameron says with a smile. "I also need to ask you something, about Lindsay." Damian rearranges himself on his bed, hoping Cameron won't catch the uncomfortable look on his face. "She told the group we just happened. We really didn't. I was walking around the halls Friday night and I ran into Lindsay. She was crying. What happened with you guys in the choir room?"

"We were practicing and we were both on the piano bench and…" Damian pauses, praying Cameron will understand this next part. "She leaned in to kiss me. I broke down and told her the whole plan, but she wasn't crying when she left. I hope I didn't make her cry."

"I'm sure it was…" Cameron trails off and doesn't speak for a long time. The two sit in awkward silence. Cameron can't help, but suddenly feel like the rebound guy. She was upset because Damian rejected her. She really wants Damian.

"I don't…"

"I'm…"

Both stop, wondering what the other person was going to say. "You go first," Damian says.

"I don't want this to get in the way of our friendship. If it's awkward for you, me dating Lindsay, I'll break up with her," Cameron tells Damian. This shocks the other boy. The fact that Cameron would break up with Lindsay just for him really showed how close friends they are. However, Damian saw how happy they looked together and he can't be the reason Lindsay gets heartbroken, _again_.

"It's not awkward at all. I don't even like her, never did." _Liar, _his heart screams at him, but he ignores it once again. He catches the relieved look on Cameron's face, though he knows he is not supposed to. For once, he feels happy instead of jealous of his best friend.

"What were you going to say?"

Damian almost forgot he was going to say something. He was going to apologize for everything and admit what has been going on. "Never mind, it was nothing."

* * *

><p>Matheus walk in on Samuel looming over his laptop screen on his bed. Matheus shakes his head and walks to glance over his shoulder. "Really, Sam?" Samuel snaps his laptop shut upon hearing Matheus's voice, but it is too late. "You're facebook stalking Quinn Fabray?"<p>

"I was just looking at her profile," Samuel says with a shrug, tossing his laptop to the end of the bed.

"What happened between you two on your date? One minute you guys looked all lovey-dovey and the next minute she was ready throw water in your face."

"I may have screwed up a bit," Samuel states, scratching the back of his head. He gets a disbelieving look from Matheus and sighs. "Fine, I screwed up a lot. Back in grade school, I was the classic bad boy. I picked on the people who were different, I didn't care about anyone, and one of my victims, well my main victim, was Lucy Fabray."

"So, if I knew you back then…"

"You would not be talking to me now or you would scream at me like Quinn." Samuel sighs again and opens his laptop. "I hate that I hurt her. I wish I could tell her what a jerk I was back then, but I've changed now."

Matheus rolls up the sleeves of one of many plaid, lumberjack shirts and grins. "I think I know just the way to do it. I am going to give you one of my signature moves…borrowed from classic 80s rom-coms."

"You're not going to make me hold the boom box over my head and pour my heart out," Samuel says, shaking his head. All he gets is a sly grin from Matheus. He watches as the short boy moves into the closet and come back with a boom box.

"It may be cliché, but it works every time."

* * *

><p>Hannah loves nights like this at Asheville, when she gets to hang out with some of her best friends. Currently, Cameron, Lindsay, Alex, and she are all hanging out in Hannah's room. Hannah's roommate is with her own friends, so Cameron and Lindsay are lounging on her bed, comfortable in each other's arms, while Alex and Hannah are sitting lazily on her own bed.<p>

"It's so sad, what happened to Damian," Lindsay states, playing with a strand of her hair. "How was he before you left?"

"He seemed okay," Cameron answers, also playing with Lindsay's hair. The group falls into a peaceful silence, all thinking of Damian. Lindsay wishes she could have had some time alone with him, but it would have been awkward staying with Cameron and Damian in the same room. Partly because of the whole relationship thing, but also because their bromance gets a bit strange when the group isn't around.

Finally, Alex breaks the silence. "So, is Emily still with that football boyfriend of hers?" Alex asks Lindsay while chomping on some chocolate.

"You'd have to ask Marissa. They never tell me anything about their dating life," Lindsay responds, trying to act like it doesn't bother her as much as it actually does. "But, Marissa told me Emily hasn't been going with her to any of the parties with her football guy. She's been heading off to Carmel." Lindsay feels Cameron freeze up when she mentions Marissa and her guy, but she chooses to ignore it, hoping he is freezing up because of Emily possibly betraying them and going to Carmel.

"Marissa the party girl, I would have even said you over her," Hannah jokes at Lindsay. The response she gets is a scowl, but it isn't petty. "Why haven't we met this mystery man in Marissa's life? I bet he has a mole, or a unibrow!"

"I know his name," Lindsay says casually, hoping to catch everyone's attention. It works and soon the three other people in room were prodding her for the name. The more she refuses to tell, the more they beg until finally Cameron tickles it out of her. "His name is Dave Karofsky!" she exclaims in between her laughs.

This satisfies Cameron and Hannah, but shocks Alex. "Dave Karofsky? The Lima football player?" Lindsay nods slowly, wondering how Alex knows the boy. "Kurt told me all about Mr. Dave Karofsky." The mention of Kurt earns him a disapproving look from Hannah, but she doesn't speak because she wants him to continue. "He bullied Kurt constantly for being gay, but then he kissed him in the locker room."

"Oh my god," Lindsay mutters, putting a hand to her face. Hannah looks equally shocked. It is Cameron who doesn't react for a minute, still processing it. Marissa's boyfriend is closeted. The first thing he wonders is if she knows about it. However, he knows Marissa well enough to know she would never date a guy like that. Despite himself, Cameron begins to smile. The guy he has been worrying about all this time isn't even attracted to Marissa.

The group continues to talk about the situation. Lindsay and Hannah discuss telling her this, not knowing if she really likes this guy or just has fun with him. Alex slips in the occasional comment, but it is usually about what Kurt told him about Karofsky. Only Cameron remains silent, his mind switching from Marissa to Lindsay, wondering if the situation has changed because Marissa's boyfriend is gay.

There is a knock at the door, interrupting the conversation. Hannah gets up to open it, thinking it is her roommate coming back early. However, when she opens the door, she sees she is very wrong. Instead, the thing she has been dreading for weeks is standing right in front of her. "Um hi, Natalie. What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Hannah Banana! I know I wasn't supposed to be here until tomorrow, but I didn't have any classes that I'm not failing already and I thought I'd swing by tonight! It's just too great seeing you," Natalie exclaims all in one breath and engulfs Hannah in a hug. Once she is done, she says, "Well, why don't you introduce me to your little friends?"

The other three are already standing. Lindsay and Alex are sizing the girl up and Cameron is gawking. Natalie has a supermodel body, shiny red hair, and a beautiful face. Lindsay can see why Hannah doesn't like having her around. She already has Cameron staring and Cameron is usually smoother than that. Lindsay hits her boyfriend on the shoulder, but that doesn't stop him from staring.

"This is Lindsay, her boyfriend Cameron, and Alex," Hannah introduces and waits for Natalie to shake all their hands.

"You are just so pretty," Natalie gushes to Lindsay before turning to Cameron. "And girl, this is some catch you got here." Lindsay is practically burning holes into Natalie as she checks out Cameron. Lindsay snatches Cameron's hand and begins dragging him past Natalie and out the door. She yells good-bye to Hannah, not bothering with Natalie. "God, she's acting like I was going to steal him."

_Leave it to Natalie to already driving my friends away after knowing them for one minute. _Hannah eyes her watch, never more happy that the curfew is ten on school nights. "Not to cut this meeting short, but curfew's in ten minutes. You gotta go. Come back tomorrow afternoon and I'll introduce you to the rest of my friends."

"Wait, there's more?" Natalie asks, not being cruel, but just clueless.

"Bye, bye Natalie," Hannah exclaims, shooing her out the door and shutting it quickly afterward. Hannah sighs in relief. She would have to see her sister tomorrow and face the embarrassment of her checking out all of her other guy friends, but at least she doesn't have to hear about her time at university, which is probably not full of wholesome, sweet memories.

"She's…" Alex trails off, not knowing what to say.

"You don't have to be nice."

"Oh, thank god!" The two begin chatting about Lindsay's face when Natalie looking at Cameron, Cameron's gawking, and all other things Natalie. Soon, Hannah is laughing so hard, she find herself forgetting Natalie is coming back and it will be even more uncomfortable. Right now, she is perfectly content talking to her best friend and laughing her ass off.

* * *

><p><em>This is just a filler chapter, establishing some things before the next two chapters. We also have the revelation that Karofsky is gay. Marissa may not know, but Cameron sure does. However, that is for another chapter. The next two chapters will focus on the boys in one and the girls in another. So, without further ado…<em>

_On the next chapter of A Competitive Edge: The boys of Asheville are having trouble staying inside the line. Damian breaks a promise, Cameron screws up the words, Samuel and Matheus play with a heart, Alex wrecks a friendship, and Bryce ruins a nose. It's all just ten reviews away!_


	9. Over the Line

"_Over the line? You're so far past the line, that you can't even see the line! The line is a dot to you!"_

* * *

><p>Cameron hesitates knocking on her door. What is he going to say to her? They haven't spoken alone since he got together with Lindsay and he isn't sure if she toke it well or not. Cameron takes a deep breath and knocks, getting more nervous as footsteps approach the door. It swings open to reveal Emily, looking like she just rolled out of bed even though they have class in thirty minutes.<p>

"How's it going buddy," Emily says out of nowhere, hitting him playfully on the arm. "Don't worry, she's all yours. Bye." Emily, still in pajamas nudges past Cameron and disappears down the hall. Cameron watches her go with a bewildered look on his face. He thought he had to worry about Emily strangling him, not hitting him like their bros.

Pushing past the odd change in character, Cameron enters the room to find Marissa putting her books in her bad, ready to leave. She looks up and seems shocked to find him in her room with Emily gone. "Uh, hi Cameron. Do you need something?"

"I kinda wanted to take to you," Cameron says to the floor, now wishing he planned out what he was going to say before coming here. "I wanted to apologize, for going on that date with that girl a few weeks ago. It was really only to make you jealous." Cameron waits patiently for a response. Marissa doesn't even look surprised and she continues packing her school bag.

Finally, she says, "Thanks, Cameron." She begins to leave, but Cameron, very confused, grabs her arm before she can.

"Don't you want to know why I wanted to make you jealous?"

"I know Cameron, but you moved on and I moved on. I don't see why we need to make a big deal out of it. If it counts for anything, I'm sorry I made you jealous."

Marissa begins to leave again and before Cameron can clap a hand over his own mouth, he blurts out, "It's not like I had anything to be jealous of."

"Excuse me?"

Once again, Cameron can't stop himself. "Didn't you hear? Your so called boyfriend is gay. Alex told me last night that he kissed a boy at McKinley in the locker rooms." Suddenly, Cameron wishes he could punch himself in the face. Marissa looks stunned, but it doesn't take long for that to turn to rage directed at Cameron.

"Since when did you become such a jerk? Is this your way of trying to get me to like you? Why did you even come here Cameron? I just can't believe you." She mumbles the last part and really does head out the door this time, muttering things about Cameron under her breath. She stops quickly when she sees someone standing right next to her door. "Lindsay."

Cameron really wishes he could multiply himself so he could kick his own ass. Not only did he screw everything up with Marissa, Lindsay might have heard the whole thing. He runs into the hall to see Marissa heading towards campus and Lindsay heading back toward her room. The decision is not hard to make. "Lindsay!" He dashes down to her door, but just gets it slammed in his face. "I'm sorry, Lindsay. I didn't know what I was saying in there. Please, talk to me."

He does get that in the form of, "Get the hell away!" Realizing he just lost one girl's friendship and another girl's love, Cameron hangs his head low as he walks back to his room. He turned into a total jerk almost overnight and he is the only one to blame for that.

* * *

><p>"This is stupid," Samuel mutters for the fifth time. "She might not even be home. And, how do you know this is her room?"<p>

"The window has pink drapes and this is going to work. When has stuff in 80s movies not worked?" Matheus asks, smirking at the fact he's right.

"Have you ever stuck five different people in a detention room at Asheville?"

"Just get the song ready! I'll be behind this bush if you need anything." Matheus shoves the box into Samuel's hands, instrumental version of "In Your Eyes" ready, and disappears behind a bush. The last he sees of Matheus is a thumbs up, telling him to press play. Samuel groans one final time before pressing the button and holding the boom box above his head.

_Love, I get so lost, sometimes  
>Days pass and emptiness fills my heart<br>When I want to run away  
>I drive off in my car<br>But, whichever place I go  
>I come back to the place you are<em>

Sometime during the verse, Quinn's window opens and she sticks her head out the window. "Samuel?" This doesn't stop Samuel from singing and judging by the surprisingly happy look on her face, Matheus is right, the 80s always work.

_In your eyes  
>The light, the heat<br>In your eyes  
>I am complete<em>

Quinn smiles lightly at him singing, watching him intently. However, the light in her room turns on suddenly. "Quinny, what's going on in here?" Quinn begins to close the window, but her mother is already across the room and gazing down at Samuel, who has stopped singing, but the music is still playing. "I thought you took a vow of celibacy after what happened with Puck. First mohawks, now dreadlocks."

"Mom, he's just a…"

"Shut the window, I'm calling the police." Mrs. Fabray disappears and comes back a minute later with a phone in hand. "Yes, I would like to report a trespasser on my property."

"Go, go, go," Matheus yells from in the bushes. Samuel drops the boom box and it smashes to the ground, cutting off the song. Matheus is already ahead of him, but it doesn't take long for Samuel to catch up to him. "Maybe we should have _Can't By Me Loved _you instead."

Samuel is going to beat his roommate to pulp once they get back to Asheville, but first he has to avoid getting arrested at the hand of Quinn's mother. So much for getting her to forgive him, she probably hates him even more now. Samuel guesses one part of 80s movies are true, love really sucks.

* * *

><p>Damian hates the cast on his arm more than he thought he would. He couldn't even dance to begin with and now it is ten times harder. He always has to avoid people ruining into his bad arm, which means he ruins into people with his good arm. Damian wishes show choir involves more ballads where dancing isn't an option.<p>

He continues to pound keys into the piano in the choir room. He should be hanging out with his friends in the lounge, but he doesn't want them babying him because of his injury. The girls were already all over him during class today. He didn't need that from his friends.

The door of the choir room opens, revealing a red eyed Lindsay. She looks surprised and upset to see Damian is already here and begins to leave. However, Damian pats the spot on the bench next to him and she reluctantly comes to sit down. Neither of them says anything for awhile until Damian has to ask, "What's wrong?"

Lindsay gently plays a few notes on the piano before responding to his question. "Cameron's in love with Marissa. I should have known, hell, I did know. I can't believe I was so stupid as to think he would get over her so quickly." Lindsay leans her head on Damian's shoulder and a few tears fall down her face.

Damian tries not to be angry at his best friend for doing this to Lindsay. It might even be a misunderstanding. But, Damian knows better than anyone that Cameron has been longing for Marissa since day one. Damian hates himself more than he hates Cameron. If he had just told Cameron to break up with Lindsay last night, she would not have had her heart broken so badly.

"Did he apologize?"

Lindsay nods. "Every time he passed me in the hall he tried to tell me he's sorry. I've been getting calls all day from him trying to get me to forgive him. I don't know what to do."

"Maybe you and Cameron aren't meant to be together." Damian shocks himself by saying this, but since he started, he better finish. "He should work things out with Marissa and you will find someone that doesn't have feelings for someone else."

"And who would that person be," Lindsay scoffs.

Damian swallows hard, wondering if he should actually do this. This is his best friend's girlfriend and yeah, he screwed up, but what if he really does want her back? However, Damian figures, if Cameron still wants Marissa and Lindsay refuses to talk to him, is there really much harm done. "Well, what about me?"

Lindsay tenses beside him and lifts her head off his shoulder to look him in the eyes. Damian sees her bright blue eyes flood with confusion, happiness, anger, and a few more tears. "But, you said you didn't really like me! You said that it was all just some plan and that you were just pretending!" Lindsay protests heavily, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Now I'm not pretending." It is Damian who leans in this time and Lindsay doesn't shy away. Their lips touch only for a second before Damian pulls away, worried about Lindsay's reaction. Her eyes flutter open and she looks at a loss for words. But Damian sees it, the hint of a smile crossing her face and that is all he needs. Their lips crash together once again and Damian hand finds its way to Lindsay's cheek. The kiss becomes deeper and deeper until the two must surface for breath. It is then that tears begin pouring out of Lindsay's eyes.

"I can't believe we just did that!" Lindsay jumps off the piano bench and moves far away from Damian who also stands up. "Damian, I'm still dating your roommate and best friend. Oh my god, I just cheated on Cameron!" Lindsay covers her eyes with her hands, sobbing into them. Damian also couldn't believe what he had done. This kind of stuff only happens in the movies. Suddenly, Damian feels like the biggest jerk on the planet and everyone wants that guy to die by the end of the movie.

"I know. God, what was I think." Cameron is going to hate him. Hell, Damian hates himself. Sure, he may have hurt Lindsay, but that doesn't mean Damian should get to hurt Cameron. "Listen, if you want to go, I'm fine. I just want you to know that I wasn't faking anything."

Lindsay looks unsure of what to do next. She has a boyfriend who is in love with someone else on one side and a boy who could love her on the other. Lindsay feels her phone vibrate in her pocket and knows it is Cameron. She takes the phone out and looks at Damian, just as vulnerable as she is. However, she has to take the call. "Hi, Cameron. Yeah, I think we should talk, too. Tomorrow afternoon sounds great."

Damian runs a hand through his hair and prepares to speak. But, Lindsay is already heading out the door and can't even bring herself to look back at him. He doesn't blame her. He definitely crossed the line and unfortunately, there is no going back now.

* * *

><p>"So, does Hannah ever talk about me?"<p>

Alex wonders how he got in this situation, alone with Natalie. He likes girl time more than most guys, but this isn't the kind of girl he would like to be spending time with. From Hannah has told him, Natalie is vain, clueless, and bossy. Still, Alex did have one very important thing to ask her.

"All the time," Alex says and it isn't a lie. "Anyway, I have something personal to ask you."

"I love talking about personal stuff," Natalie says, curling her legs up and inching closer to Alex.

"Hannah told me a story about how you were in love with one of your best friend's boyfriends and that you got him in the end. How would one do that," Alex asks slowly, hoping Natalie really is clueless enough to tell him her secret to stealing men.

"What girl is it?"

Yes, she is definitely clueless. "This _boy _is the boyfriend of my old best friend."

"You swing that way?" Alex waits till she looks down to roll his eyes at her. "Well, what I did was I started going to everything they went to. Soon, the boy and I were such good friends that he started inviting me to places without my friend. That is when I turned up the sexy. Soon enough, he was dropping dates with the girl to be with me and then he just dropped the girl all together."

Alex smiles at the story. He already is spending a lot of time with Kurt and Kurt even invited him to some play at a local theatre. All he has to do is turn up the Alex charm. "Thank you so much. That information is going to help me a lot!"

"Just remember, the friend is not going to be happy about it when she finds out. She'll just drop you like a fly. I mean who does that to a friend?" Alex shakes his head at Natalie, liking her for the help, but not seeing how she can be this stupid.

Hannah walks into the room, towel around her hair. "Hey guys, what are you chatting about?"

"Alex asked me for relationship advice." Alex begins to wave his hands at her, pleading for her to stop talking. Natalie ignores him completely. "Yeah, I told him about the time I stole Molly's boyfriend away from her. Alex has a crush on some guy who already has a girlfriend. Did you know he swings that way?" Hannah looks infuriated and turns a very disapproving gaze straight Alex's way. He mouths "I'm sorry", but it does no good.

"I told you not to mess with Kurt and Blaine. He used to be your best friend. You can't do that to people!" Hannah yells. "I don't want to talk to you until you promise will leave the warbler and his boy alone." Hannah points towards the door and with his head held low, Alex leaves. It is time to weigh his options.

He can both ignore Hannah and go after the man of his dreams, meaning Hannah will never talk to him again. Or_, _he can save his most treasured friendship and never see Kurt again. He definitely needs beauty sleep to think this one through. He can only pray Hannah will change her mind or Kurt will break up with Blaine before Alex goes after him.

* * *

><p>"You guys have to come outside, now!" Marissa yells to her fellow Accents. The group is preparing for a heavy dance rehearsal, but they immediately follow Marissa outside into the parking lot. There is Emily and group of Carmel High jocks and glee club members.<p>

"What are you doing?" Lindsay asks, fear edging into her voice. Is Emily leaving Asheville? That will bring them down to only eleven members, ten if McKynleigh leaves for that seminar thing.

"Sorry guys, but I need to be in a club where people appreciate my talent. I should have gotten that duet solo. I worked my ass off for it," Emily says to the group, crossing her arms over her chest. The Carmel kids all snicker at the Asheville students, sneering at their dance outfits and small number of members. Comparisons to the New Directions are made, causing Lindsay to scoff.

"Look, you can have the solo," Cameron says to intervene despite Lindsay's massive protests. The other members nod, willing Emily to come back and join them.

"Listen, Asheville whatevers," a boy begins, stepping forward. Most of the group immediately recognizes him as Jesse St. James, assistant director of Vocal Adrenaline. "Emily has too much talent to be wasted at your sad little private school. She needs a real team. Now, go back inside and practice your mediocre dance routine."

The Accents looks at Cameron to say something, but the awkward boy doesn't know what to say. So, Bryce steps forward. "Listen, Jesse. You can take your overrated club back to where they belong and let them practice until their ankles give out. But, you guys are going to get crushed at Nationals by our amazing little private school."

"Good luck doing that with eleven members," Jesses sneers and relishes the attention he gets from his club member laughing behind him.

"Come on, Emily. Do you really want to join this jerk's club?" Cameron asks, joins Bryce at the head of their group.

Emily shakes her head. "Sorry sweetie, I would rather join a winning team. Let's get out of here." The Carmel kids begin retreating to their cars. A blonde boy grabs Emily's hand and begins pulling her along toward one of the cars. Emily can't help, but look back ather old club members. Most look either angered, saddened, or just plain disappointed. She tells herself not to let it get to her; they didn't appreciate her in the first place.

"I guess we won't be seeing you at Nationals," Jesse says with a smirk and begins walking away with the rest of his friends.

"Hey, Jesse," Bryce calls, advancing on the boy.

"What do you…" Jesse can't even finish his question before Bryce's fist collides with his nose blowing him back. Jesse swipes a bit of the trickling blood from under his nose and stares in shock for a second, not believing that actually just happened. "You are going to pay for that. Your whole club is."

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note<em>

_First, thanks for over one hundred reviews! This chapter focused heavily on the boys and the next chapter is going to be all about the girls post this chapter. Also, shout out to anyone who can name where I got the quote from at the top of the chapter!_

_On the next chapter of A Competitive Edge: The Asheville girls all have tough decisions to make. Will the girls save the hearts that are on the line, or go their own way?_


	10. Join the Fun

_Sorry for being slow on the update guys. Haha, see what I did there? Anyway, I'm starting school again, so I will be a bit slower with posting chapters. Since it has been awhile, here is a quick summary of what happened last chapter and it will help anyone who just reads the first chapter than skips to the last (guilty). Imagine the guy who does it for Glee saying the stuff._

_So, here's what you've missed on A Competitive Edge: Damian likes Lindsay, but she's dating Cameron, his best friend, so he probably shouldn't have kissed her in the choir room. But, Cameron also might like Marissa, but also likes Lindsay. And Matheus is trying to help Samuel get Quinn, but his 80s plan just got the cops called on them. Oh, and Emily left for Vocal Adrenaline, and Bryce punched Jesse St. James in the face, getting the Accents blacklisted. Alex and Hannah got in a fight because he's getting dating advice from her crazy sister. Did you get all that?_

* * *

><p>McKynleigh desperately needs someone to talk to. The decision is killing her, stay or go? She sits down on the usual lounge couch, seeing Lindsay already there. The girl seems lost in her own thoughts, which isn't unusual. Lindsay loves to hear herself talk and hearing herself think must fill in for the times her mouth is not running. Though she isn't very close friends with Lindsay, McKynleigh needs somebody.<p>

"Lindsay?" The other girl snaps out of her thoughts and looks up at McKynleigh. "Can I talk to you?"

"I guess," Lindsay says with a shrug, but she sound a bit out of it. McKynleigh waves it off as her being angry about Emily leaving and begins talking. "I've been having some trouble deciding between two things." McKynleigh is careful not to mention her decision involves her leaving the club as well. "I was wondering if you…"

"You thing you have been having trouble making decisions? I have two guys to choose between and I have no idea who I want to be with. It actually makes me miss the day when guys wouldn't even look my way or call me 'that annoying chick' behind my back." McKynleigh desperately tries to interrupt Lindsay, but there is no stopping her now. "Boys are just so annoying. First they say they don't want you, and then they suddenly will be willing to jeopardize relationships to be with you. Do you know what I mean?"

"I've seen it on TV shows," McKynleigh tells her weakly, wishing she had come upon someone else in the lounge besides Lindsay.

"That's it!" Lindsay says, shooting up from her slouching position. "I should approach this in the way female TV characters do. Thanks, McKynleigh!" And with that, Lindsay gets up and practically runs out of the lounge, forgetting all about McKynleigh and her problem.

McKynleigh doesn't have to wait long for another member of the Accents to walk in. This time it is Damian. She hasn't seen him since yesterday's practice. He hadn't been in the lounge last night with everyone. However, she is happy to see him. A boy might be a better option to spill her problems to. "Damian, can I ask you something."

She regrets even beginning the conversation. Damian looks exactly like Lindsay, disoriented and confused. It doesn't take long for McKynleigh to put the pieces together. Cameron messed up with Lindsay, so she kissed Damian and now both feel guilty about it. "Do American boys get mad when you kiss their girlfriends even if said boy was a total jerk to said girlfriend?"

"Watch American TV, it will give you an answer," McKynleigh deadpans.

"Sounds great," Damian mutter dejectedly and leaves as quickly as he came. McKynleigh prays the next Accents member isn't Cameron, who probably is in the same state as Lindsay and Damian, if he knows about them of course. Lucky for her the next person to walk in is Marissa, someone who is always open for talking.

"Thank god, Marissa. I really need someone to talk to."

"What does it say about a girl who dates a gay boy without knowing he is gay?" Marissa says the minute she sits down. "Does it mean the girl is stupid for being so oblivious or desperate because deep down she probably knew the whole time? Or is the girl stupid and desperate and a little crazy?"

"You have got to be kidding me," McKynleigh mutters under her breathe and this time it is McKynleigh who leaves the room. While she walks back to her room, she finds herself getting angrier and angrier. How can her friends be so self-involved? Not one of them even asked her what was wrong, instead opting to talk about their own problems. Sure, it was only three of the eleven, but Marissa and Damian were supposed to be the listeners.

McKynleigh enters the room and immediately pulls a suitcase from her closet. Her mind is made up. _DC, here I come._

* * *

><p>Emily thought she of all people knew what tired felt like. Oh, how wrong she was. Vocal Adrenaline practice was enough to injure a person, kill in the case of Cameron and Damian. The whole thing was taken so seriously and everyone was so intense. Emily doesn't think she saw one person crack a smile unless it was forced to enhance the performance. <em>People take show choir way too seriously. These people have me missing Lindsay.<em>

"Alright everyone, center stage!" Jesse yells from his place at the desk in the middle of the auditorium seats. Everyone complies immediately and Emily finds herself being pushed with the crowd. "Time to announce soloists for Sectionals. Myers, Logan, you didn't sicken me, so congratulations. Tomorrow morning, five a.m."

Kelsi and Mark squeal and the rest of the group pretend to be happy for them, but this group is far too petty to make the acting look good. While the newly minted soloists beam as they collect their bags, the others, Emily included, walk sluggishly to get their things and go home. Emily dials her aunt's number as she walks out of the auditorium.

"Hey, wait up," someone calls from behind her as she walks to the curb. Emily turns to see Asher, the boy who first got her interested in the club. She still finds him attractive, but after just one day of practice, she is too worn out to flirt with him. "What did you think of your first Vocal Adrenaline practice?"

"Tiring and disappointing," Emily tells him.

"I told you there was no guarantee you would get a solo first time around. Come on, you're just a rookie," Asher says, jokingly punching her on the shoulder. Emily scowls at him. She did not like being punched or being called a rookie. Even Lindsay would never say that to anybody. Emily is quickly learning Vocal Adrenaline members were arrogant and a little too eager to get in someone else's way to success.

"My aunt will be here soon," Emily says, hoping the Asher will take the hint and drive away. However, this boy doesn't shake off easily. Emily mentally notes members are also persistent.

"Come on, it's only ten o'clock. Live a little." This boy is getting Emily's last nerve, first calling her a rookie and now acting like she is a loser who sits at home playing video games. She is Emily Vásquez, damn it, she invented partying. "Why don't come hang at my place? My parents are EMTs."

"Should I care about what that means?"

"It means they aren't home at night," Asher says slyly, hold out his arm for Emily to loop hers in. Emily contemplates taking it. At Asheville, boys were falling all over themselves to have her, but they always let her lead, knowing she was powerful and a natural leader. But this boy, he just saunters over and acts like he could get her any time, any place. Yet, Emily takes his arm anyway and begins dialing her aunt's number again. God, what has she become, not being able to give Asher a challenge? Suddenly, Emily feels like a big fish who just found out she is really pretty small.

* * *

><p>Lindsay knows what she is doing is very Disney channel, but she doesn't have a choice. Sometimes big problems require an unoriginal approach. Sighing, she looks down at the two pictures on her bed, observing each one carefully or each boy in them carefully.<p>

The first is a framed picture of her and Cameron before the soccer game Damian broke his arm during. They are both oblivious to the camera; too busy looking at each other smiling. Cameron's arm is placed gently on her shoulder and they picture looks like ones in the frame when you buy it, unnatural, but perfect.

The other picture is on her phone, one McKynleigh took of her, Hannah, and Damian in the choir room after a practice a few days early. Hannah and Lindsay are on either side of Damian, smiling wildly. However, Lindsay never noticed before how Damian is not staring directly into the camera, but slightly down at her. This is the picture you put in the photo album and look at when you feel nostalgic, it is a surreal moment worth remembering, but can only be short lived.

So, which does Lindsay pick? The boy who makes her happy and safe, but they will always be hoping for something else? Or the boy who fills her with passion and longing, but is not guaranteed to last for very long? Lindsay huffs angrily and throws herself back on the bed, kicking her phone on to the floor in the process.

Her first thought is the hope it didn't break. When she gets past that, Lindsay wonders if it is a sign she is not supposed to be with Damian. However, she dismisses this immediately. Now she really is acting like a boy crazy, Disney Channel character and the last thing she wants to come across as is whiny, can't sing Miley Cyrus.

Someone knocks on her door and Lindsay quickly gets off the screen with the picture and places the frame back on the desk in case it is Damian or Cameron. Though neither of them have the right to judge her, she doesn't want them to have a reason to. Before Lindsay goes over to open the door, she glances back at the framed photo. Filled with a brief moment of anger, she pushes the photo face down and walks over to the door.

If she did believe in signs, which she still does not, this would definitely be one. Cameron is standing awkwardly out side the door, a rose in hand. The desperate part of Lindsay wants to throw her arms around him and beg for his forgiveness, but the strong, confident Lindsay reminds her other part that Cameron wronged her too.

"Can I come in?"

Lindsay nods her head and moves out of the way to let him in. She closes the door and patiently waits for his next move. "Lindsay, look," he begins, taking her hand and leading her other to her bed. "I am really sorry for the other day. I didn't mean the things I said. I don't know what came over me. It is probably because I still had some leftover feelings for Marissa, but those are gone now, swear." He holds his hand up like a grade school boy, hoping to make her laugh.

She cracks a smile, her strong side knowing she has no footing now and guilt washes over her. "I forgive you, Cam. But listen, I need to tell you something and I need to promise you won't get mad." Lindsay knows that he will be furious when he hears, but she still has to ask. Cameron nods, looking relieved Lindsay forgave him. "Damian and I were in the choir room and things got a little out of hand. I want you to know…"

Cameron cuts her off before she can finish. "Lindsay, Lindsay, I already know. Damian told me about it. I'm not mad. It was a mistake and he told me he doesn't like you like that anyway." Lindsay feels her stomach drop slightly, but she chooses to ignore it. The important thing is Cameron doesn't…care?

"Wait, you don't care, at all?"

"I don't see why we have to make it a big deal," Cameron says with a shrug. He opens his arms up for a hug which Lindsay accepts, knowing Cameron won't be able to see the confused look on her face. Cameron knows his girlfriend and his best friend kissed and doesn't even care? Then Lindsay puts together the rest of the puzzle. He thinks she means the choir room almost kiss that happened the night they got together.

Desperate Lindsay opens her mouth to tell him the truth, but strong Lindsay clamps it shut. She and Damian don't ever have to mention the kiss again. It's history now. The important thing is that she and Cameron are back together and happy. Damian is just going to have to accept that. Now, the only thing she needs to do is put that picture back up and hope not to get guilty feelings looking at it.

* * *

><p>Marissa rests her chin on her folded arms and stares down the phone lying on her desk. God, she has never done this before and she never thought she would be the kind of person who would do this. Emily has probably done this multiple times and she could have helped Marissa if she hadn't decided to run off to Carmel with Jesse St. James and his fancy club.<p>

She knows that this has to be quick and maybe it will be a painless, mutual thing. He was probably more uncomfortable than she was during the somewhat relationship. Marissa sums up her courage and picks up the phone. She realizes that this probably shouldn't be that hard; the guy's number isn't even programmed into her phone and that should say something about a relationship. Scrolling through her recent calls, Marissa finds his number and dials, hoping for the best.

It rings a few times before going to the answering machine and what he thinks is tough, but Marissa thinks is jerky, voice mail tells her to leave a message. Even worse, breaking up with someone over a message. However, she hadn't really known what she was going to say if he picked up, so a message is probably best. "Hey, Dave, it's Marissa. Look, I didn't want to do this over a message, but I think it's…"

"Marissa?" The red head freezes when Dave picks up the phone. "Hello, Marissa?"

"I'm here. I need to talk to you about something."

"First, I was wondering if you want to go to another party a friend of mine is throwing is this Friday. Wanna go?"

"That's what I wanted to talk about. I know I shouldn't be doing this on the phone, but I don't think we should see each other anymore. I don't think we have much of a connection, you know." Her explanation is followed by a long silence, one she soon can't handle. "Dave, please say something. I'm really sorry."

"Whatever, I didn't like you that much anyway. Damn, gingers." Marissa knows she probably wasn't supposed to hear the last part and he hangs up on her. For whatever reason, tears begin to well up in Marissa's eyes. She wipes them away frantically, not knowing why she is wasting tears on a guy that didn't even matter. Maybe it is because of the guy that got her to end it in the first place.

"Emily, I need…" Marissa stops herself, realizing Emily isn't her roommate anymore and some new girl would be moving in tomorrow. Now the only girls she has to talk to is Hannah or Ellis. Lindsay hates her for potentially stealing her boyfriend and McKynleigh probably won't talk to her after McKynleigh blew her off in the lounge for some reason. Marissa isn't very close friends with Ellis, so Hannah it is.

Grabbing the secret box of chocolate she and Emily kept in the bottom draw of her desk, Marissa stalks out of the room, screaming at herself to not cry. However, today life seems against her as a gleeful looking Cameron heads her way and there is know way to act like she doesn't see him. "Marissa, I was just about to come talk to you. Do you have a minute?"

"Uh, sure." It is best to get this conversation out of the way as soon as possible.

Cameron gives her a large smile. "Great. I just wanted to apologize for yesterday. I was totally out of line telling you those things. I guess I still had some leftover feelings for you. I just wanted to tell you now we have both moved on. Lindsay forgave me. Can we go back to being friends again?"

He looks at her earnestly, begging for the answer to be positive. "That sounds awesome, Cam." Cameron's smile widens and he gives her a friendly hug because they are _friends. _Marissa bites her lip and desperately prays that she doesn't start uncontrollably crying right in front of Cameron. She pulls away and musters up, "I have to go meet Hannah. I'll see you later." He nods and takes off, no doubt to either talk to Damian, who she hasn't seen since yesterday, or Lindsay.

Marissa watches him go and a stray tear falls down her face. Angry at herself for letting him still get to her like this, Marissa looks hatefully down at the box of chocolate in her hands. She begins walking at full speed down the hall, slamming the box into the first trashcan she comes upon. She will prove she is good enough for him, _better _than him.

* * *

><p>Hannah and Ellis sit in Ellis's room, watching a cheaply made comedy and grabbing handfuls of over buttered popcorn. "So, Alex go the love bug bad? I always new there would be a diva tamer somewhere out there to take down the beast," Ellis says and grabs a large amount of popcorn from the quickly emptying bucket.<p>

"He is so desperate, he is taking relationship advice from my sister."

"I would have thought Emily. She makes picking up guys look like playing hide n go seek in an open field. But in all seriousness," Ellis says, picking at one of her nails nervously. "I know you are going to hold a grudge against Alex for awhile."

"Five years," Hannah confirms.

"Five?"

"Standard grudge holding time for gay best friend taking advice from rotten sister."

"I'm sorry, I must have forgotten to pick-up the book on time allotment for grudge holding last time I was at the store. Anyway, how much time do boys usually hold grudges for?"

"Guys? Like one hour, max. Remember, boys have the attention span of a gold fish. Whoever this boy is of yours that hates you, and I don't think Damian really cared when you called him a potatoes farmer the other day, he will have forgotten it by now."

"But what I did was really bad," Ellis admits. Hannah looks at her questioningly. Ellis realizes she will have to explain herself now. "I used to go to Crawford Country Day and I knew this guy who went to Dalton. We were best friends…until I outed him to the entire two schools. I transferred here after, but he made it pretty clear he hated me and never wanted to talk to me again."

"Oh, you didn't mention it was a gay guy. You will never be seeing that boy again."

"Why not?"

"They're like girls. They don't forgive and forget easily. Why do you want to see him again?"

"I saw him when we went to Breadstix a few weeks ago and I can't stop thinking about apologizing to him."

"Maybe you should call him."

"I guess I could, though I don't know what good it will do. You need to talk to Alex then."

"Yeah, okay," Hannah says sarcastically and turns back to the movie. Ellis rolls her eyes at her friend and goes back to watching the movie as well. But, calling her old friend doesn't drift far from her mind. Confrontation was never Ellis's strong point.

* * *

><p>Marissa walks into her room and is shocked by the multiple suitcases on the bed and ground where Emily used to be, before realizing her new roommate is moving in. It is official; Emily has completely left Asheville. Marissa had thought if no one filled the room, maybe there was a chance. Now, <em>nothing<em>.

"Excuse me," a hoarse voice says from behind her. Marissa steps away from the doorway and turns around. The new girl has her arms crossed over her chest and stares at Marissa, waiting for her to introduce herself. She has long brown hair and a nice looking face.

"Hi, I'm your roommate Marissa."

"Shelia," the girl says, shaking Marissa's outstretched hand. She crosses the room to her side and begins unloading some of her things. Marissa notes some sheet music and an idea dawns on her. They are missing Emily and they need a new girl so…

"Out of curiosity, do you sing?"

Shelia looks at her and shrugs. "I guess, not professionally or anything. Why?"

"Want to join a club?"

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note:<em>

_Love it? Hate it? But, I have a serious question for you guys. Will you still read once the Glee Project is over? The first part of this story will be over in three chapters and your input will change the last chapter depending on what you want._

_Shout out to slotes123 who got the quote right first. It is from season three of Friends when Chandler kissed Joey's girlfriend. Somewhat befitting to last chapter. Now, shout out to anyone who can tell me who Shelia is._

_On the next chapter of A Competitive Edge: Things are falling apart for the Accents. Emily is gone, McKynleigh is going to her conference, and everybody seems to be keeping secrets. And it doesn't take long for things to get out._


End file.
